Pirates in the Fellowship
by Psycho Elf v2.0
Summary: *NEWLY EDITED/reposted* follow up to Rangers and pirates:years after their trip to the Caribbean, Aragorn and Legolas meet up once more with their two pirate friends as the Fellowship is being formed. friendships will form and insaneness will ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing. All characters belong to either Lord of the Rings, And / or Disney. No money is being made off of this story it purely for entertainment value!

**NOTE**: SO after about three years I have decided to repost this story and it's predecessor. I hope you guys all enjoy it as much now as you did back in the day! Also, since i am reposting it I promise to actually finish it!

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**Prologue: A Sworn Prophecy**

**Middle-Earth, the Golden Woods of Lothlorien, in the beginning of the Third Age**

The earth called to her.

She followed its siren call, weaving her way through the trees of her home with ethereal grace, until she reached her destination. The quiet burbling of the clear, running water called to her soul, echoing in a place that she had long kept protected.

Stepping over to the fountain, she trailed graceful fingers in the water, allowing it to soothe and caress her, even as the call strengthened in power. Reaching for the mithril flute sitting in the natural rock shelf, she lowered it into the water and filled it to the brim. The water reflected the shimmer of the mithril and in the light of the full moon the flute seemed to glow with an unearthly beauty.

She turned from the fountain and stepped up to a mithril basin that was set atop a stone pedestal in the center of her glade. Carefully she tipped the flute over the basin, watching as the water splashed down into it, filling the bowl to its rim. Leaning over, she breathed across the water, watching the ripples that her breath made across the surface. Like the growing ripples in the fabric of the world, she thought to herself. After a moment, the clear water changed to a shimmering opaqueness.

Lady Galadriel set the flute back in its place, before facing her Mirror. Taking a deep, calming breath, she focused all her attention on the water, seeking the reason for the call to her soul. Millennia of practice enabled her to almost immediately gain control of the power within herself, and she directed that power to show her the answers that she sought.

Her breathing slowed and evened out as her power manifested itself in the form of images in the water of her Mirror. Visions raced across the surface, showing her images of the past, the present, and the many possible futures that existed at this moment. After several long moments, the dizzying array of scenes stabilized on one image in particular.

She studied the image intently, looking for any clues as to why she was being shown this vision, when words began to come to her mind, words that she had no conscious control over. "Blood calls to blood, and heart to heart. From the mists of time, the shadows shall part. Four thus bound, with power of purest light. Bond of blood, so profound, never fails in the fight. In time of greatest need, when future's form is bleak. The call of blood shall they heed, family ties not weak. Forged in blood and friendship's flame, bond's power thus, never seen again. In all thought, speech and action proclaim, each generation's chosen twain. Evil's power in ever growing scope shall be faced by the strength of pure Hope."

With that, the vision was gone from her Mirror, and despite all attempts, she could not get the Mirror to reveal more than what it had already shown. Sighing, she withdrew her power from the Mirror and picked up the basin, emptying it back into the fountain before replacing it on the pedestal. The vision and the words still echoed in her mind, and she knew that there were others to inform. Leaving the glade, she returned to her talan and withdrew parchment and a quill from her desk.

With careful attention to detail, she composed two letters, relating the vision in its entirety to the other two who most needed to hear about it, since they would know what to look for when the time came. Sealing the letters with her own personal seal, she summoned a messenger and gave him the letters, instructing him to take them with all due haste to the hidden vale of Imladris. The messenger bowed and took himself out of her presence.

Galadriel rose to her feet and walked over to her balcony, gazing out at the stars that shone through the branches of the trees. Her gaze fixed on one particularly bright star in the heavens and she contemplated it. May these times be blessed by the light of Eärendil, so that hope ever shines in the gathering darkness.

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**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 1: Reunion in Bree**

Jack rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of his room. He hadn't been able to relax since he and his crew had left Port Royal and this feeling of uneasiness was really starting to get on his nerves. He had decided make their way to Tortuga to collect some supplies before they officially set out. There was nothing unusual about this plan, in fact it was necessary.

But Jack found that he was being plagued by dreams over the last few days. All of them were about Aragorn, except for the one that he had just woken from, which involved four little people being chased through dark woods by some black robed riders.

Jack yawned and rolled onto his side so that he was facing the open window, just as a light breeze blew into the room. Sighing, the pirate captain decided to dismiss the dreams, after all none of them made any sense. He figured that he was dreaming about Aragorn because of his still-lingering curiosity with the young man and his interesting ancestry, which he had learned about from the ranger's elf friend, Legolas. Jack sighed again as another cool breeze hit his face, bringing with it a floral scent which seemed rather out of place in Tortuga, but it did have a calming effect on him. After a few minutes, Jack's eyes slid closed and he slipped off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Middle-Earth…

Aragorn covered his mouth with his hand, making it look like he was rubbing his chin as he thought; when in reality he was hiding a yawn. He had stayed up all night watching over the hobbits as they slept, and he had been shorting himself on sleep for the past few nights as well. As he had expected, the Black Riders had entered Bree and torn apart the hobbits' room, completely destroying the dummies that he had made of them in their frenzied search for the Ring and its bearer.

Leaning back in his chair he stretched his tired muscles and wondered again how hobbits could eat so much without making themselves sick. They had been delayed for almost three hours now, and in that time the four hobbits had eaten enough food to feed twelve people, at a guess.

Eventually Bob, one of the landlord's helpers and friends, came back with the news that there was only one pony to be found in Bree, a poor half-starved thing that belonged to Bill Ferny. Mr. Butterbur, the landlord, was kind enough to purchase the pony for them to make up for the loss of their own animals.

They sat for a few more moments before the hobbits had finally finished eating, and Aragorn suggested that they go and repack their belongings, along with some extra items for the journey.

Aragorn made a face under his hood as he again caught Merry and Sam giving him odd looks. You would think that they would start trusting me after I saved their lives, but nooo, of course not… Aragorn was interrupted from his thoughts when he slammed into someone on the steps. Shaking his head slightly, he looked up and began to apologize, but the apology fell short when he got a good look at the man he had slammed into. Oh no, no this isn't happening!

Looking back at him was someone he had not seen in years. Captain Jack Sparrow stood in front of him, pale and looking VERY disturbed and shocked to say the least, as was Aragorn at this point.

Jack had woken up a few minutes ago to find that he was no longer in Tortuga. As soon as his mind stopped racing and recovered from the shock, he had made a mad dash out of his room and begun heading down a flight of steps where he nearly ran over four smaller beings before he finally did slam into someone. And that someone just happened to be the Ranger who had helped to save his life. Jack looked from Aragorn to his surroundings and realized that somehow his dreams had transported him to Middle-Earth, or at least he assumed that this was Middle-Earth, seeing as how he knew that that was where Aragorn was from.Both men just stood staring and studying each other for a long time as they tried to decide if it was a dream or reality. Aragorn was surprised to see that Jack looked exactly as he had the last time that he had seen him, he hadn't aged a day. He frowned when he noticed slight redness around Jack's neck. Rope burn, his mind told him, and Aragorn recalled how Jack had nearly been hung when they had last seen each other.

Jack on the other hand discovered that Aragorn had indeed aged. Though he still looked almost exactly the same, his face no longer held the innocence that it once had. The ranger still wore his dark colored clothing, and all of it looked as if it hadn't seen a good wash in months, the ranger's dark hair appeared greasy and he had several days of stubble on his cheeks.

Aragorn took in a breath and then quickly poked Jack."You're real."

Jack frowned at him and then repeated the same action on Aragorn. "So are you, mate." They both continued to stare at each other until someone called Aragorn's alias.

"Strider is everything alright?" Turning around, Aragorn could see Mr. Butterbur's form standing at the bottom of the steps.

"Everything is fine; we're just getting packed up." Aragorn replied smoothly to the question, covering up his shock at meeting Jack here of all places.

Butterbur just nodded and turned away from the two. Aragorn waited a moment until he was out of sight and then grabbed Jack by the arm and dragged him back upstairs and into an unoccupied room. Once they were inside, Aragorn quickly bolted the door shut.

"Jack, how did you get here?"

Jack sighed and sat down on the bed. "I don't know. One minute I was in Tortuga sleeping and the next I wake up here in your world…" Jack narrowed his eyes at Aragorn, who was making a rather odd face, as if he had swallowed something nasty. "…what's that face for?"

Aragorn just cringed more at the 'pleasant' memories of that place. The unattractive women, the bar… although dousing Gibbs with three buckets of water had been pretty entertaining. He looked up at Jack, startled.

"Oh nothing, did you say you were sleeping?"

Jack nodded and Aragorn decided that it was official; he never wanted to or was going to sleep again. Or, rather no more dreaming, since they seemed to cause nothing but trouble. After about ten minutes, Jack decided to break the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

"What are you getting packed up for?"

Aragorn blinked at the sudden switch in topic, before he answered the pirate. "I have to lead a small group to Rivendell. It is a matter of great importance and we need to leave as soon as possible." Aragorn watched as Jack lowered his eyes, probably expecting to be left behind. Aragorn really didn't know what to do. This as he said was an important trip, and the last thing he needed was for Jack to get drawn in by the Ring. But then he remembered how Jack could have just left him to die on the street and hadn't and Aragorn knew that he just couldn't leave the pirate behind. Besides, Ada or Gandalf might be able to help him.

"If you're coming with us you are going to need new clothes…"

Jack's head shot up and he locked eyes with Aragorn, who was smiling goofily at him, like he usually had. "I can come… wait, why do I need new clothes?"

"Yes you can come. Do you really think I am going to leave you behind? Valar only knows what kind of trouble you'd get yourself into. And you need new clothes because this isn't the Caribbean… you'll freeze in those."

Aragorn heard Jack sigh in relief as he exited the room to try and hunt up some clothes for the pirate. As he again headed down the stairs, he wondered how and why Jack had gotten to Middle-Earth, and most of all, why now after so many years. Once he was downstairs he sought out Butterbur and informed him that he was going to need a tunic, leggings and a heavy cloak, and that if he could get them in darker browns or greens it would be much appreciated.

The heavy-set man just gave him an odd look before he shuffled off to get the things that Aragorn had requested. I'm setting a record for dirty looks today… The ranger turned his attention back to the steps where Pippin and Merry were arguing over an apple, Sam was just glaring at them, and Frodo was rummaging through his pack making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. His thoughts then turned back to the pirate waiting for him upstairs. Laying his arms on the bar he placed his head on them and groaned softly. Why me?

The landlord returned a few moments later with a bundle of cloth in dark brown, which he handed to Aragorn with yet another odd look. Aragorn simply nodded in thanks and headed back up the stairs to the room where he had left the pirate.

Jack was still there when Aragorn entered, and the ranger handed him the clothes. "Put these on."

"Are you sure I really need them, mate? I am sure that I'll be fine in what I am wearing right now." Jack replied as he looked uncertainly at the bundle of cloth in Aragorn's arms.

Aragorn sighed but remained firm. "Yes, Jack I am sure. We are in the northern regions of Middle-Earth, it is the end of September, and winter will soon be coming. You are either wearing those clothes or you are not coming with us, because I can't afford to delay any longer."

"But…" Jack started to protest. Aragorn said nothing, just looked at him expectantly with a strange look in his eyes that Jack didn't really want to push him on. With a grumble, the pirate began unfolding the cloth. Aragorn nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the door.

"Come down when you are dressed and I will introduce you to the rest of the group." the ranger called back over his shoulder. "Oh, and Jack…" He glanced behind him to see the pirate looking at him curiously. "I am going to introduce you as simply Jack Sparrow. The hobbits have no idea that you are a pirate and a ship's captain, so please don't push the issue. That's one headache that I really don't want to deal with."

Jack didn't say anything, he simply nodded. Aragorn left the room and went back downstairs for the umpteenth time to find that Bob had returned with the newly purchased pony, and that the hobbits were already placing most of their provisions on the creature's back. Sam was patting the pony's nose and whispering to it, calling it Bill.

Aragorn smiled slightly, but the smile was quickly hidden as Jack emerged from the inn, wearing the new clothing. He didn't look anything like a pirate at the moment and if it wasn't for his braids and gold teeth, Aragorn might have thought him to be another ranger. Jack held his other clothes in his arms and Aragorn took them and shoved them into one of the packs that were already strapped onto the pony.

"Little masters, there is someone that I wish you to meet." Aragorn told them softly. All four hobbits looked up at the new stranger. "This is Jack Sparrow, one of my friends. I haven't seen him in a long while and it seems that he also has an errand in Rivendell, so he will also accompany us."

The hobbits nodded, although Sam and Merry both looked suspiciously at the pirate, who smiled cheekily at them. Aragorn continued introducing them to Jack. "Jack, this is Master Frodo Baggins, his cousins Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, and his gardener Samwise Gamgee. They are hobbits out of the Shire."

Jack nodded at each hobbit as they were named, and then turned back to Aragorn. "So when do we head out, mate?"

Aragorn groaned silently at the pirate's question, but his facial expression didn't change a bit. "Right now. Unfortunately there is no way that we can get out of Bree undetected now, so we'll have to simply take the road as quickly as we can before we move off and take a different path." With that the Ranger began to lead the small company down the road.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All characters belong to either Lord of the Rings, And / or Disney. No money is being made off of this story it purely for entertainment value!**

Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 2

Oh thank God! Jack sighed with relief as Aragorn slowed his pace. It was not only a relief to Jack, but to the four hobbits who were almost running to keep up with the ranger as he led them out of Bree and into the wilds of Middle-Earth. Jack looked at the mostly untouched wilderness all around him, and shivered and wrapped himself tighter in his new black/brown cloak that Aragorn had gotten for him, along with the heavier pants and tunic of the same color. At first he had argued with Aragorn about wearing them, trying to convince him that the clothes he was wearing were fine, but the ranger would hear nothing of it and forced Jack to put them on.

Jack, of course, teased him saying that he had gotten demanding and pushy now that he was older. But he quickly learned what Aragorn meant when he said that this place was not the Caribbean, it was freezing cold here! Jack shivered again and found himself missing the tropical weather.

"Are we cold?"

Jack looked at Aragorn, who was to his left, smirking with the knowledge that he was right and obviously waiting for Jack to admit it.

"Yes, you were right! I'm bloody freezing!" Jack exclaimed.

Aragorn's grin turned into a triumphant smile as he stopped and placed his hand on the trunk of a tree, sniffing the air as he did so. He looked back over his shoulder to make sure the hobbits were all still there before he continued on. He looked about to comment to Jack, when he stopped and listened as the hobbits began to talk quietly to each other. Unfortunately for them, they didn't talk softly enough and the ranger and pirate could hear every word.

"How do we know these two are friends of Gandalf?" one of the hobbits asked another. The hobbit who had been spoken to, a young looking fellow with dark hair and startlingly blue eyes, glanced at the other hobbit briefly before responding.

"I think servants of the Enemy would look fairer, and feel fouler."

The first hobbit spoke again. "They're foul enough."

Aragorn and Jack both made identical disgusted faces, as they simultaneously looked back over their shoulders slightly, and continued to listen to the hobbits speak.

The dark-haired hobbit continued. "We have no choice but to trust them."

The first hobbit to speak, who looked slightly older than the dark haired hobbit, huffed and hitched his pack further up on his shoulders. The hobbit leading the small brown pony joined in on the conversation. "But where are they leading us?"

Aragorn was the one who answered, even though he wasn't looking at the hobbits any more and had given no sign that he had heard the conversation. "To Rivendell, Master Gamgee, to the House of Elrond."

Jack glanced back over his shoulder again in time to see the shocked looks on the hobbits' faces. He smiled, revealing his golden teeth to the hobbits. "Next time talk a little quieter, savvy?"

Aragorn said nothing, only picked up the pace a little bit and continued to walk, though he couldn't hide the barest hint of a smile that threatened to break out on his face.

It was about mid-afternoon when snow began to fall, lightly blanketing the ground. Jack stopped for a few moments to catch his breath, before following Aragorn up a small hill where the ranger again stopped and smelled the air. Aragorn made a slightly irritated face as he heard pots and pans clanking behind him, though he banished any trace of irritation when he turned to face the hobbits, who were starting to unpack and prepare food.

"Gentlemen, we do not stop 'til nightfall."

All four hobbits looked at him in confusion, until the youngest one spoke up. "What about breakfast?"

Aragorn's face turned to one of disbelief and confusion. How can they still be hungry?

"We've already had it."

Pippin smiled cockily, because he thought he had the perfect answer. "We've had one, yes, but what about second breakfast?"

Jack smiled innocently as he looked between the hobbits and Aragorn. "I'm actually hungry myself, mate."

Aragorn just rolled his eyes and moved off into the bushes. Jack followed him, curious to know what the ranger had planned, and smiled as he saw Aragorn reach into his pack and pull out three apples once he was out of sight of the hobbits. Tossing one to Jack, he smiled. "You should have told me that you were hungry, I could have gotten you something better to eat at the inn."

Jack just shrugged and bit into his apple. He watched as Aragorn began tossing the others to Merry and Pippin. Merry caught his and handed it to Pippin, patting him on the shoulder as he moved off to follow Aragorn. The next apple went flying in the air and hit Pippin, who wasn't paying attention, right between the eyes.

Aragorn and Jack both began laughing as Pippin looked at the sky in bewilderment and Merry called out his name impatiently. "I think I am going to enjoy traveling with them after all." Jack stated, before taking another bite of his apple.

Aragorn nodded and smiled slightly in agreement. "They'll certainly beat traveling with Will."

_Later that same night…_

Jack opened his eyes slowly, hoping to wake up in Tortuga. But, to his dismay, he was still lying on the wet, muddy ground in their makeshift campsite. They had spent the rest of the day traveling through some extremely rough wilderness, and then entered some marshes, which was one part that they had all enjoyed immensely, if one could call being eaten to death by bugs fun. Add to that the knee deep sludge and the horrible smell coming from the swamp and Jack wondered why he had never tried to cross a marshland before. To top it all off, Aragorn had decided that it would be fun to 'accidentally' trip Jack. This, of course, just made Jack even more miserable than he already was, since he was now soaking wet on top of everything else.

Sighing, Jack rolled over to his right, where he saw Aragorn sitting on a log not far away with his back to the pirate and the hobbits. Jack watched him for a long while. He had changed so much. It seemed like the weight of the world was resting on the ranger's shoulders, although his carefree nature was still bubbling just below the surface. It also wasn't hard to guess that he hadn't yet become king. His thoughts then turned to this important journey that they were on to Rivendell. Aragorn hadn't filled him in on anything and neither had any of the hobbits for that matter. But the pirate could tell by the way that they were all acting that it was way beyond anything that he could probably imagine. _And I don't think I want to either._ Of course, no one could have imagined what would have happened only a few days ago with Barbossa and the _Pearl_.

Jack sat up slightly and listened as Aragorn began singing a song in what he recognized as elvish from the brief time that he had spent with the elf, Legolas.

"_Tinuviel elvanui_

_Elleth alfirin ethelhael_

_O hon ring finnil fuinui_

_A renc gelebrin thiliol…"_

The words were beautiful and slightly haunting in the still night air. Jack listened with a small smile on his face, even if he didn't understand what the words meant. Aragorn stopped suddenly when Frodo sat up and asked who the woman was that he was singing of.

Aragorn looked back over his shoulder for a moment before he turned away, but not before Jack caught a glimpse of his face. The ranger seemed rather upset, but it didn't show in his soft voice.

"'Tis the Lay of Luthien, the Elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal."

Jack's gaze narrowed as he considered his friend. Something about the hobbit's question had triggered a change in emotion in the ranger. "And what happened to her, mate?"

Aragorn turned again to face Frodo and saw Jack leaning on one elbow with his eyebrows arched, waiting for an answer. He became a little self-conscious since everyone had always told him he sang like an orc and wondered just how loud he was actually singing.

"She died…"

Both of them stared at him for a long moment before he told them to get some sleep. Frodo lay back and fell asleep almost immediately, but Jack was still laying awake contemplating things when Aragorn spoke to him again.

"You really should get some sleep Jack; we have a long road ahead of us and it won't do us any good to drag a half-asleep pirate captain around with us, savvy?" Jack smiled broadly, "Now there is the pirate I knew.""I can't be...""Oh? And why is that mate?"Aragorn laughed slightly, "Because I'm not throwing up. Now stop stalling and go to sleep!" Jack mimicked Aragorn as he rolled over so that his back was facing the ranger who had turned back around and sighing continued his watch.


	3. Chapter 3

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All characters belong to either Lord of the Rings, And / or Disney. No money is being made off of this story it purely for entertainment value!**_

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 3_

_A few days later..._"So you've journeyed with an elf?" Jack smiled down at Sam who was looking up at him, his face full of wonder. They had been traveling around for a few days now and Aragorn hadn't really been able to talk too much with Jack since he was on constant look out for any enemies. So Jack decided to get to know his well… shorter companions a little better. He quickly learned that Merry and Pippin were the jokers of the four, and Frodo was quiet but willing to have a good time. Sam on the other hand was still very skeptical of him that is until he told the hobbit about his little adventure that included an elf prince."For a brief time, but yes I have traveled with an elf."

"Mr. Frodo and I saw a group of wood elves on our way to Bree. It makes me sad to think that they are leaving middle earth forever."

Jack frowned somewhat, "They are leaving forever?"

Sam just nodded yes and let a silence fall between them as Jack thought about the hobbit's revelation. He had learned that Aragorn was raised by elves and that he and his family were very close, indeed. And then there was also Legolas who was his best friend. _Maybe that's something that has been worrying him, his family is leaving_, the pirate said to himself.The silence continued on for the next hour or so until Aragorn paused and looked to a broken down structure not far off on top of a hill.

"This was the great watchtower of Amon Sûl. We shall rest here tonight."

It took another twenty minutes to actually get to Amon Sûl. When they got there Jack threw down his pack and sword before he plopped down next to Sam intending not to move for the rest of his life. Aragorn looked off into the distance again before he produced a pack with four small swords which he passed to the hobbits.

"These are for you. Keep them close. I'm going to have a look around. Stay here." Aragorn cast a quick glance at Jack who was struggling just to keep his eyes open before he moved off to go inspect the area. _Please don't let them do anything stupid_. Aragorn thought, pleading to the Valar.

Frodo woke slowly and sat up with a start when he heard the crackling of a fire and the other three hobbits talking about their food."What are you doing?!"

Merry smiled and began pointing out things on his dish. "Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon."

Frodo got to his feet and ran over to them as Sam held out a plate of food."We saved some for you, Mr. Frodo..."

Jack, who had also been aroused, jumped up and followed Frodo and tried to help the hobbit put out the fire as Pippin bitched about them getting ashes on his tomatoes. Suddenly, a Nazgûl's cry pierced the darkness. The hobbits and Jack all jumped, startled, and made their way over and look over the lip of the overhang. Jack's heart started pounding as he watched five Nazgûl closing in on Amon Sûl. Jack hesitated a moment and then ran and retrieved his sword as the hobbits unsheathed theirs and began heading up a near by flight of steps. Once they had reached the top they found themselves standing in the middle of a circle of broken pillars. The hobbits all stood back to back with Jack in front of them as they looked around frantically for any sign of the Enemy.

Jack froze when he got his first good look at the Nazgûl as they unsheathed their long swords and began making their way towards them. _Where the hell is Aragorn?! _Jack jumped a little when he backed into Frodo; it then dawned on him that the hobbits were now behind him all looking desperate for protection. Jack cringed. He had never been so terrified of something in all his life and he didn't think he could move let alone protect them. Sam suddenly jumped out from behind him screaming back you devils and clashed swords with one of the five wraiths before it threw him aside. Something in Jack's head suddenly clicked and he lunged at the wraith as well. The wraith crashed it's heavier sword so hard against his as they fought it was a struggle for him to keep a good grip on his smaller and much thinner sword.

The Nazgûl finally succeeded in making Jack lose his sword, tossing him aside carelessly before it moved after Merry and Pippin. Forcing them out of the way as well, it continued to advance on Frodo. Jack shook his head trying to snap himself out of the daze he was in when took notice to the ring Frodo was holding. He felt strange, immediately being drawn to it. But he wasn't the only one who took notice to the ring. The leader of the Nazgûl took out his long dagger and began closing in on Frodo as he frantically backed away. Frodo backed right into a fallen pillar. He became panicked as the wraith drew closer and in desperation he slipped the Ring on his finger. Once Frodo had put the Ring on, it was like the world had changed, revealing to him the wraiths' true forms which were ghostly kings. The king in front of him reached out his hand and Frodo felt his own hand rising towards the king. With all the strength he could muster Frodo pulled his hand away from the king, who in response stabbed him in the shoulder with his dagger. Frodo cried out in pain and at the same moment Aragorn's dark figure jumped over him attacking the Nazgûl with his sword and a flaming torch.

Aragorn dodged a strike and then spinning around used the torch set one of his attackers on fire before moving on to the next one. The ranger fought with a fury that Jack had never seen in anyone before, and the pirate shivered slightly, glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of Aragorn's attack. The ranger finally drove the rest of the Nazgul off, but one of them remained, searching for Frodo. Aragorn heard it behind him, and whirling around, flung his torch. It flew end over end and hit the Ringwraith right in the face, where it stuck there. The Ringwraith's black cloak went up in flames and the dark figure fled, shrieking in terror and anger.

Meanwhile everyone else had moved to Frodo who was crying and moaning from the pain caused by his wound. Jack called for Aragorn who came rushing over to them as a concerned Sam began pleading for him to help Frodo. Aragorn looked around the hobbit and picked up the dagger lying by him and examined it closely.

"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade..." Jack watched with amazement as the blade just dissolved in Aragorn's hand leaving him holding only the handle which he threw down in disgust. Leaning closer to Frodo Aragorn gathered him into his arms and rose. "This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine."

The group paused by their camp long enough to gather their provisions, before moving on through the darkness. Eventually, after a long, terror-filled run, they came to a small clearing that held three large rock formations.

Jack stood by Aragorn, but he was looking off in the direction of the three huge stone trolls. He must have been making an odd face, because Aragorn reassured him that they were indeed stone.

"Stone, right, but what are they?" Jack muttered under his breath. Before Aragorn could answer, his attention was brought back to the hobbits.

Everyone stopped what they were doing as Frodo began making noises that were eerily similar to those of the Nazgul. Sam felt his forehead and then slightly panicked, turned to Aragorn. "He's going cold!"

"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked anxiously.

Aragorn turned towards the youngest hobbit. "He's passing into the shadow world. He will soon become a wraith like them."

Frodo gasped just before the Nazgûl screeched in the distance

"They're close." Merry whispered.

Aragorn finally thought of something, "Sam, do you know the _athelas_ plant?"

The little hobbit ran up to him but looked confused. "_Athelas_?"

Seeing his confusion Aragorn tried another name, "Kingsfoil?"

"Kingsfoil - aye, it's a weed."

Aragorn looked from Frodo to Sam, his face grim. "It may help to slow the poison." Handing him a torch, the ranger gestured off into the forest. "Hurry!" Sam nodded and darted off into the trees. The ranger paused for a moment and took the torch that Jack was holding. "Stay with them, Jack. You're their only protection while I'm gone."

The pirate captain nodded. "Hurry, Estel. I don't know if I can hold those things off for long if they return." Aragorn nodded and moved off into the trees, following Sam's path.

Aragorn and Sam eventually split up in their search for the plant. Sam ran off further ahead while Aragorn knelt down and examined a small, white-flower. A relieved smile came over his face as he realized that it was indeed _athelas_. He took out his small dagger and began to cut of portions of the herb. Out if the corner of his eye Aragorn saw a flicker of sliver and then felt a blade press up against his throat, _Not again!_

A musical voice spoke, full of humor at the situation that the two of them were in. "What's this? A ranger caught off his guard?"

Aragorn let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he turned to face the owner of the sword, someone he knew quite well.

Frodo was still lying on the ground, when he sensed a white light nearing him. He slowly turned towards it, seeing a beautiful elf-maiden riding towards him. She stopped her white horse not far from him and dismounting made her way over to him calling his name.

"Frodo... _Im Arwen. Telin le thaed. Lasto beth nîn. Tolo dan nan galad."_ Frodo, I'm Arwen. I have come to help you. Hear my voice. Come back to the light.

Jack stood off with the other hobbits in awe as she knelt next to him and again called his name as Aragorn leaned over him and began chewing a portion of the _athelas_.

"Who is she?" asked Merry not taking his eyes off of Arwen as he spoke. Jack couldn't take his eyes off the elf-maiden. Her hair was raven-black and woven back in a complicated arrangement of braids. Her eyes were a silvery grey and shone as if with the light of a star.

"She's an elf." replied Sam and Jack at the same time.

Arwen pushed Frodo's tunic aside exposing his wound so Aragorn could apply the _athelas_ he had been chewing to it, which made Frodo gasp.

"He's fading! He's not going to last. We must get him to my father." Arwen said softly, but urgently.

Aragorn tossed the rest of the _athelas_ aside before he gently scoped Frodo up into his arms and made his way over to the white horse, and listened to Arwen speak to him.

"I've been looking for you for two days. There are five wraiths behind you. Where the other four are, I do not know."

Aragorn slid Frodo into the saddle and after making sure he was balanced in it he turned to Arwen

"_Dartho guin perian. Rych le ad tolthathon_." Stay with the Hobbits. I will send horses back for you.

Arwen shook her head in defiance, "_Hon mabathon. Rochon ellint im_. I'm the faster rider. I'll take him."

Pippin looked up at Jack in confusion "What are they saying?" Jack frowned at the hobbit.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You said you had traveled with elves before." the hobbit pointed out.

Jack nodded, "Yes I did, but it was only for a short time and I know very little of the language." He really only knew a few things like "thank you", "my friend", and a few basics he picked up from traveling with the ranger and the elf.

He made a mental note to ask Aragorn to teach him how to speak some Elvish when or if they even got to Rivendell.

Pippin sighed when Jack didn't go any further with his explanation and then turned his attention back to Aragorn who was still arguing with Arwen.

"_Andelu i ven_," he said firmly. The Road is too dangerous. Aragorn knew that Arwen was capable of defending herself on the Road, but he was still frightened for her safety, since his love for her was so deep.

Her face turned even more serious then it already was "_Frodo fîr. Ae athradon i hir, tur gwaith nin beriatha hon._ Frodo's dying. If I can get across the river, the power of my people will protect him."

"I do not fear them." Arwen smiled reassuringly at Aragorn who returned her smile and took her hand into his.

"_Be iest lîn_." As you wish.

Aragorn stepped aside letting Arwen mount Asfaloth with Frodo seated in front of her still moaning. Aragorn's smile faded as Arwen turned to again look at him "Arwen, ride hard. Don't look back!"

She nodded and leaned forward slightly. "_Noro lim, Asfaloth, noro lim!_" Ride on, Asfaloth, ride on! The white horse tossed his proud head before cantering off into the trees and out of sight.

Jack couldn't believe Aragorn was letting Arwen take Frodo the rest of the way to Rivendell and apparently neither could Sam.

"What are you doing?! Those wraiths are still out there!" the hobbit protested.

Aragorn just stared after Arwen, well aware of the dangers she was facing and Sam wasn't helping him cope with his decision any better.

"If Aragorn trusts her then you should as well." Jack said softly.

Aragorn glanced back over his shoulder and smiled slightly at Jack in thanks for his words. After glancing once more after Arwen, he turned back to the others. "We must pack up and follow Frodo as quickly as possible. We still have several days' walking ahead of us and the sooner we leave the sooner we'll make it to the safety of Rivendell."

The hobbits sighed and went to gather up the few items that they had removed from Bill. Jack stepped closer to Aragorn. "Who was that, Estel? I saw that she was an elf, but who is she?"

Aragorn looked back again before meeting Jack's gaze. "That was Arwen Undomiel, the Evenstar of her people. She is the only daughter of Lord Elrond."

Jack's eyes narrowed as he recognized the name of the elf lord. The pirate wracked his brains trying to remember where he had heard that name before. He smiled in satisfaction as he finally caught hold of the memory. "And he is your foster father, correct?" Aragorn only nodded, and Jack turned away satisfied. Aragorn breathed a soft sigh of relief. At least Jack hadn't noticed that he obviously cared a great deal for Arwen. That would make things too complicated to go into for the moment.

A few moments later the group set out again, heading determinedly for Rivendell and safety, and praying all the while that Frodo would reach Rivendell in time.


	4. Chapter 4

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All characters belong to either Lord of the Rings, And / or Disney. No money is being made off of this story it purely for entertainment value!**_

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 4_

Will looked around the surrounding woods as he tapped his fingers on his thighs, bored out of his mind. "Do you even know where you are going?" The question was directed to his companion, who rode just ahead of him. There was no answer.

After a few moments Will sighed and looked off into the distance as he waited patiently for his riding companion to answer him. He had been traveling with this man since he first arrived here eight days ago, and quickly learned he was very easily irritated.

"Well do you?"

The larger man in front of him huffed somewhat as he looked over his shoulder his blue green eyes flashing a little.

"For the thousandth time, yes I know how to get to Rivendell! And to answer your other inevitable question we are less then two hours away. Now will you please quit pestering me?!"

The fair haired man grumbled under his breath as he turned away from Will and focused on the path. Boromir mentally kicked himself for bring Will along. At first he had been glad when he had run into him on the road and found out he was trying to get to Rivendell as well. He thought he would enjoy the company since for the past ninety-eight days he had been traveling by himself.

Seeing as he had no human being to talk to, he thought that his horse would be better then nothing. If any one had seen him riding in those last days they probably thought he was insane because he would often get into heated conversations with the beast. As Boromir remembered some of the conversations he was glad his horse couldn't talk. It now knew enough secrets to blackmail the lord of Gondor for all eternity. Boromir glanced quickly back over his shoulder at Will. He felt bad about the way he had been treating him. At first he had tried to be sociable with the younger man but he quickly learned how suspicious Will was and how he always had to try and piece things together. So by the third day Boromir was ready to rip the hair out of his head.

"So what is your reasoning for going to Rivendell?"

Will blinked in surprise. This was the first time in days since Boromir tried to strike up a conversation with him. Will made an annoyed face as he thought about the person who he was looking for. "An old 'friend'."

Will's face turned red as he thought about Aragorn. He was almost positive the ranger had somehow brought him here, right when his life was finally going well or starting to. He hadn't been sleeping when he was transported here; instead he was wide awake and actually walking to get something from the market. And then in the blink of an eye he was here and it wasn't hard to guess where he was. Middle Earth.

"You don't sound or look too happy about seeing this friend again." Boromir stated after observing Will's face.

Will smirked a little, "It will be an interesting reunion."

Rivendell...

The remainder of the group consisting of the hobbits, Aragorn, and Jack had arrived in the idyllic haven a few days ago, and had immediately sought out Elrond to find out about Frodo. The elf lord had been very kind and told them that Arwen and Frodo had made it safely to the city, although it had been very close. If Arwen had been even a few hours later, it would have been too late for Elrond to have saved him. The hobbits had relaxed upon hearing that Frodo would be fine in time, and Elrond had had them escorted to rooms where they could rest. Aragorn had introduced Jack to Elrond, Gandalf, Bilbo, and the twins immediately after the hobbits had been seen to.

Jack barely held in a laugh when he thought about those introductions. Everyone that Aragorn had introduced him to had been friendly and had welcomed him with open arms, but it was easy to see that they were unsure of the whole situation; after all he was supposed to be a figment of Aragorn's imagination.

Jack smiled when he thought of old Bilbo. Out of everyone that he had met so far, the ancient hobbit had most easily accepted Jack's presence. The pirate captain had been spending a lot of time with the hobbit, exchanging stories of their journeys, and Jack actually spent a great deal of time reading Bilbo's book trying to learn about Middle Earth.

In the last few days, they had all been rather worried about Frodo, even knowing that he would be fine, but to everyone's great relief he had woken up the day before and was now up and about with the other hobbits, reminiscing and of course eating.

Jack was now with Elladan, Elrohir, and Aragorn laughing and joking as they walked down the path through the trees. As Jack had suspected when Aragorn had first told him about the twins, they were extremely mischievous and enjoyed pulling pranks on everyone that they could. Just now they were discussing some of Aragorn's many adventures and apparently many mishaps since the two had been separated, and also to his delight, the twins and the ranger had agreed to teach him some elvish. He could understand it well enough considering how little he knew, but speaking the musical language was a whole other matter. The three also decided to try and teach him how to use a bow, which at first was a complete disaster. But after HOURS and HOURS of practice he was finally picking up on it.

The pirate was becoming thoroughly intrigued by this place. It was beautiful beyond imagination here and the inhabitants of Rivendell were just as beautiful and intriguing as their home. Jack could easily see why Aragorn loved it here so much, and why he had been so eager to return home and why he had tried to convince the pirate to come with him after the adventure with Barbossa and the Pearl. He really did enjoy being here with his friend whose mood had lightened immensely since their arrival and Frodo's awakening. Jack had even teased Aragorn about getting sentimental in his old age, to which Aragorn had responded with taunts about Jack's love of his ship, asking him why the pirate loved his ship so much when pirates were supposed to be heartless.

As the foursome got closer to the main house shouts could be heard coming from around the gate area. The four picked up their pace as they made their way over to the gate but Jack and Aragorn came to a screeching halt when they saw who was all gathered in the courtyard. There was a group of Dwarves standing off to a side watching as two identical looking beings argued and a man stood off the pair's left, wide-eyed and mouth gaping.

"Why did you two bring me here?!" shouted Will glaring angrily at the elf prince who was trying to recover from the shock of Will being there. Aragorn and Jack both winced at the tone in the man's voice, sharing an uneasy look. Jack could see that Legolas wasn't happy about this accusation, and even though he didn't know the prince as well as Aragorn did, from the way that the prince was tensing up, Jack was willing to bet that Legolas was only barely keeping himself from grabbing one of the weapons that he carried and doing some serious bodily harm to his look-alike.

Legolas gave Will an equally pissed off look, as he waited for the man to stop shouting. When Will finally subsided, the prince spoke calmly, but his temper was only barely in check. "Will, Strider and I had nothing to do with your arrival here. First of all, we don't have the ability to bring you here, and secondly, I haven't seen him in several months. I have been in my home, and he has been out in the Wilds doing his duty. Also, not to mention the fact that it has been years since we last saw you. Why would we bring you here? We have no reason to." Meanwhile that very question of, Why would we? was all that kept running through his mind.

Will gave the prince a look that said clearly, _I'm not buying it_. He opened his mouth, again, although this time he managed to keep from shouting. "What do you mean it's been years? Jack and I saw you and Strider five days ago."

As the two bickered on Jack and Aragorn slipped inside and began making their way up to the Ranger's room to hide, leaving the twins, Legolas and whoever the shocked man was on their own. Both felt bad leaving them, especially Jack who had been looking forward to seeing Legolas again, but he wasn't about to deal with Will right now, or at least not while Will was in this foul of a mood and neither was Aragorn.

Aragorn sat on the terrace, engrossed in a book that had always been one of his favorites when he had been growing up here. Evening had fallen hours ago, and most of the guests in the main house were already fast asleep. Thankfully, Will was one of them.

He had Jack had hidden in his room almost all day, until Legolas came and hunted them down. Luckily, he and Jack's reunion had been better. Legolas had actually been quite pleased to see the pirate again and the three stayed there until almost dinner time when the twins had come looking for them. They were kind enough to fill the three friends on how it had taken Elrond and Gandalf nearly an hour to calm Will down and convince him that no one had brought him to Middle-Earth on purpose, despite Legolas' reassurances. Unfortunately the blacksmith had still been on the warpath, so they had decided to remain hidden until the coast was clear and Will had cooled down some.

Aragorn was drawn from his thoughts as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Glancing up from his book, he could see that the man that Will had arrived with, _Boromir_, Aragorn's mind told him, remembering what the twins had told them, was up and about.

Boromir looked around the room that he had entered, overlooking Aragorn, who was of course blending in with the shadows. This was actually the first time today that he had gotten to explore Rivendell. After Will's little outburst at Legolas, they had immediately been escorted by Lord Elrond's sons to their father's study, where the elf lord had greeted them both calmly and politely, before ordering the twins to escort him to a room so that he could talk to Will in private.

Boromir still had taken no notice of Aragorn, but his eyes lighted on a large mural painted on the wall behind him. He studied it intently, recognizing the scene it depicted, if only from his lessons about Gondor's history. Isildur lay on his back in a desolate wasteland and the Dark Lord loomed over him with a mace and Isildur had only a broken sword to defend himself with. He stared at the painting for several more minutes, before he finally registered the fact that someone else was in the room with him. He looked off to the left, half-turning around as he made out Aragorn sitting in the shadows looking at him intently.

"You are no elf."

"The men of the South are welcome here." Aragorn said in response, smiling ever so slightly.

"Who are you?" Boromir asked, returning the smile.

Aragorn thought for a moment about how to answer the man. He decided not to give his name right now, knowing that Boromir would undoubtedly learn it sooner or later. "I am friend to Gandalf the Grey."

Boromir nodded as he thought about what Aragorn had said, and smiled again. "Then we are here on common purpose, friend."

Boromir was a little confused about Aragorn's reluctance to share his name, but he let it slide for the time being as he caught sight of a statue behind him. It was of an elf maiden holding out a stone tray, and on the tray lay the pieces of a broken sword, the same sword from the mural behind him.

His hand caressed the hilt for a moment before he picked it up and held it in a confident and sure grip. "The Shards of Narsil!" He began to shift the sword carefully in his hand, testing its balance with all the skill of a trained swordsman. He began to carefully run his fingers along the edge of the blade.

"The blade that cut the Ring from Sauron's hand." Suddenly he felt the metal slice into his finger and he hissed, pulling the sword away from his hand, leaving a crimson trail of blood on the edge of the blade.

"Still sharp." Boromir murmured in a semi-awed voice. He felt uneasy, and looked to his right, where Aragorn still sat watching him intently.

Boromir frowned. "But no more than a broken heirloom." He carelessly set the hilt back down on the tray and turned away, heading for the door. He paused for a moment as he heard the hilt crash to the ground, debating whether or not to go and pick it up. Rubbing his forehead, he continued out of the room, leaving the sword where it lay at the base of the statue.

After a few moments of hesitation, Aragorn rose from his seat and set his book down carefully, before going over to where the sword lay. He picked it up carefully and looked it over, before setting it carefully back in place on the tray. He backed away from the statue and placed one hand over his heart, reverently. Aragorn continued to gaze at the statue and was unaware of Arwen entering the room until she spoke.

"Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate." Her musical voice broke the silence of the room.

Aragorn inhaled deeply before he answered her, his voice grave and slightly hesitant. "The same blood flows in my veins…" He turned to face her, slowly. "…the same weakness." The conflict about his destiny was evident in his deep silver eyes.

Arwen's face became serious as she stepped closer to him. "Your time will come. You will face the same evil, and you will defeat it."

Aragorn looked at her skeptically, his eyes uncertain.

Her gaze and her voice softened as she switched to elvish. "_A si i-Dhúath ú-orthor, Aragorn. Ú or le a ú or nin._" The Shadow does not hold sway yet. Not over you, not over me.

Arwen took his hand and they walked for a long while through the moonlight, before they stopped on a small stone bridge in one of the many gardens. Here they stopped and faced each other with the moonlight streaming down around them, turning everything silvery-blue and enhancing the very lovely ethereal quality that Arwen had.

_Renich i lú i erui govannen_? Do you remember when we first met? Arwen asked him softly, her voice nearly a whisper.

_Nauthannen i ned ôl reniannen_. I thought that I had strayed into a dream. Aragorn replied after a brief silence as he contemplated his beloved's face.

_Gwenwin in enninath. Ú-'arnech in naeth i si celich. Renech i beth i pennen_? Long years have passed. You did not wear the troubles that you carry now. Do you remember what I told you? Arwen said, reaching up and running her hand down his cheek, in a gentle caress.

Aragorn sighed as he looked down and ran his hand over the silver pendant that she wore around her neck. When he spoke, his reply was in common. "You said you'd bind yourself to me." He looked up into her eyes. "Forsaking the immortal life of your people."

Her eyes were determined, but soft as she replied in the same tongue. "And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone." Her hand closed around his, and Aragorn felt something cool sitting in his palm. As she removed her hand, he opened his own and saw her necklace sitting in his hand. His eyes flew back up to meet hers.

"You cannot give me this!"

She smiled. "It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart." She closed his hand back around the Evenstar pendant. They stared at each other for a long moment before Aragorn leaned down and kissed her gently, a kiss which she readily accepted and returned.

Jack watched wide-eyed from where he was crouched under the trees. He had been walking in the garden and had accidentally walked in on the ranger and the elf maiden, and had instantly hidden before either of them noticed him. He was in shock at the scene unfolding before his eyes. His mind began racing as he tried to piece together what he was seeing with what he already knew. No one had ever called Jack a fool or dumb, although he often acted that way. _Aren't they brother and sister? Or rather raised that way…but that's still odd_.

"That's interesting." Jack whispered to himself, under his breath. He shifted position ever so slightly and in doing so, accidentally stepped on a branch, which broke under his weight.

Jack cringed as Aragorn broke his kiss with Arwen and spun around, instantly spotting the pirate where he stood. "Jack!" The ranger sputtered in shock, his face turning a rather interesting shade of red that Jack had never seen before.

"Oops." Jack muttered, his own face turning red as well, though his was from embarrassment. He backed up a pace as Aragorn stood there glaring at him. "I can explain, mate," the pirate tried to apologize.

Jack looked beyond Aragorn to the elf maiden, trying to gauge her reaction. She stood there, a small smirk on her face as she watched the confrontation unfolding. Jack wondered what was about to happen, especially considering that he had seen Aragorn fight when he was angry, and the pirate remembered thinking that he never wanted to be on the receiving end of the ranger's anger. He looked back at Aragorn.

"Jack, you have exactly ten seconds to start running before I kill you." Aragorn said tightly, his face still bright red and his eyes sparking with annoyance and anger.

Jack took him at his word and took off, making a quick escape and trying to get back to the main house and safety before the ranger came in pursuit. He knew his chances of succeeding were probably minimal, but he had to try.

Aragorn counted to ten in his head before running off in pursuit of the pirate, leaving a laughing Arwen standing on the bridge behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All characters belong to either Lord of the Rings, And / or Disney. No money is being made off of this story it purely for entertainment value!**_

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 5_

Will rolled onto his back and stretched under the light covers of his bed. He had spoken with Lord Elrond, Aragorn's foster father, and the wizard Gandalf for over an hour yesterday. Afterwards, the elf lord had had one of his sons escort Will to a room, which as it turned out was right next to Boromir's. Not that it mattered much since the other man was already asleep when Will got to his room, leaving him no one to talk to. Although, on reflection that was probably a good thing, since Will was still angry about having been brought to Middle-Earth when his life was finally going right, even though he had been assured that it was no one's doing.

Sighing, he swung his legs over the bed and stood, making his way over to an overstuffed chair by the door, which held a pile of new, elven made clothes for him to wear. After he was dressed in the very comfortable clothes, Will began to groggily make his way down the hall in search of someone who could point him in the direction of the kitchens. In all honesty, he couldn't remember the last time that he had eaten, and according to his stomach it was time for breakfast. Or was it lunch? Will had no idea what time of day it was actually.

As he wandered through the halls he came to a large flight of steps and began to descend them, glancing at the elvish architecture as he went. This was the most beautiful and amazing places that he had ever seen. It was like he had stepped right into the pages of a fairy tale, only better, because this was real.

"Quel amrun, Will." Good morning, Will.

Will jumped slightly at the sound of the voice behind him, and turned, coming face-to-face with one of the twins. How do you tell them apart? And what did he say?

Seeing Will's uncertainty, Elladan smiled broadly at Legolas' look-alike, who appeared to have completely snapped out of his foul mood from the previous day. He repeated himself, this time in the common tongue so that the man would understand. "Good morning, Will."

"And good morning to you as well." Will replied cordially, not even bothering to attempt to figure which of the twins he was speaking to.

"So what has you up and about at this early hour?" Elladan asked curiously. In all honesty, he hadn't expected to see Will for several more hours yet.

Will informed the elder twin that he was looking for the kitchen, and the elf laughed, smiling broadly as he told Will that there were already several others enjoying their breakfasts, and that he was sure they wouldn't mind an addition to the table that morning.

Will followed Elladan into the large dining hall, only to find a large array of creatures gathered around the long table. Elves, dwarves, wizards, hobbits… and I thought that cursed pirates and ghost ships were strange things. Will cringed slightly as he caught sight of Legolas with several other elves that he had ridden in with the day before. The blacksmith felt terrible about how he had acted towards Legolas. He knew that it wasn't the elf's or Aragorn's fault that he was here, but he did know that fate was cruel.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Will approached the elf from behind and gently tapped him on the shoulder, drawing his attention away from the others and towards himself. "Legolas, may I speak with you in private?"

Legolas eyed Will skeptically, wondering if the man was going to drag him off for another yelling session. He looked away for a moment, before getting gracefully to his feet and following Will over to a far corner.

Will shifted his weight uneasily under the elf's intense glare for a moment before he began. "I'm sorry for the way that I acted yesterday. It's just that…with everything that has happened with Barbossa and then being transported here…I know you and Aragorn had nothing to do with bringing me here, and I am sorry that I took my frustrations out on you."

Legolas stayed silent for a long moment as he considered Will's words. He honestly couldn't blame the man for the way that he had acted and the elf prince did know what the man was going through. After all, he hadn't been too thrilled to wake up in the Caribbean again after he had gotten Aragorn back.

Legolas smiled and patted Will on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, I understand how you feel."

Will blinked in surprise as the elf guided him over to the large table and began introducing him to a few of the others seated at the table, including the hobbits Merry and Pippin, and an elf named Figwit that was a close friend of the prince. Legolas was also kind enough to point out which of the twins was Elladan, which as it turned out was the one who had brought him to the dining room, and which was Elrohir.

After about an hour or so, others began to join them. Jack had been the first, followed shortly by Boromir and Aragorn. Will was surprised to note that the ranger cast a dirty look in the pirate's direction before taking a seat between Will and Figwit. Will was quickly learning that elves had a wicked sense of humor, as the twins began to tell the story of Jack's introduction to elven wine. Everyone was greatly amused by the story, and with the help of Aragorn reenacting certain parts, even Boromir couldn't help but laugh, which was another surprise to Will since in the eight days that he had traveled with Boromir, the man had never cracked a smile.

As the noon hour neared, all of the people who had been invited to Elrond's council began to leave to prepare for it. Will had been surprised again when the elf lord had asked him to join in as well. He had learned about Jack's travels with Aragorn and the hobbits and understood why the pirate captain had been invited, but he had been traveling with Boromir and hadn't had any experiences like Aragorn and Jack had had. He supposed that he had been invited because he had been traveling with the man of Gondor, who did have a reason to be at the Council, even if it was only for a few days. As he left the dining hall and went back to his room, he began to wonder what this important matter to be discussed was. I guess I'll know soon enough.

The Council…

Will and Jack both shifted around in their seats uncomfortably as they waited for the Council to begin. Jack looked over to Will, who had turned into a bundle of nerves where he sat in his seat next to Boromir, whose face held a mixture of emotions. Legolas looked as calm as he usually did, as did all of the other elves that were in attendance. Aragorn seemed to have slipped back into the odd mood that he had been in when Jack first arrived.

Elrond finally stood from his seat and began to address the Council. "Strangers of distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction, none can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this one fate, this one doom."

Jack rubbed his temples and wondered what he and Will had gotten themselves into this time. This definitely promised to be worse than the adventure with Barbossa and the Pearl. He looked up as Elrond continued to speak. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

Frodo slipped off of his seat and approached the elf lord. He held something in his hand, and hesitated for a moment before placing a simple gold ring on the stone podium in front of Elrond.

"So it is true…" Boromir whispered softly. Will gave the man an odd look as he took in the way that Boromir was staring at the Ring avidly. Neither he nor Jack understood how the fate of Middle-Earth could rest on this little ring. But then again, the key to breaking the curse on Barbossa's crew had rested on Will's blood, so maybe it wasn't so odd.

Everyone in the Council, except for Frodo, who only looked relieved as he sat back down, felt a strange twinge of desire awaken in them as they laid eyes upon the gold ring. Both Will and Jack thought that they heard the Ring calling to them, promising them great power and riches if they claimed the Ring. Eventually Boromir rose from his seat and took a few steps towards the podium as he began to address the assembly.

"In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, 'Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found.'" Gandalf and Elrond exchanged uneasy looks as Boromir's hand hovered over the Ring. The man's hand inched closer and closer to the Ring. Frodo tensed, and right before Boromir would touch it, Elrond stood swiftly, crying the man's name. "Boromir!"

Boromir barely had time to look away from the Ring before Gandalf also rose from his seat, chanting in a harsh language that had an immediate effect over the whole area. A shadow fell over the Council, as if the sun had been blotted out, and thunder rumbled overhead. Among the members of the Council, terror and confusion was evident on every face.

Jack found that he was also disturbed by the strange effect of the wizard's chant, but he was able to find something humorous in the situation, mostly thanks to his own twisted sense of humor. So he found himself slightly amused by the fact that Legolas was making the same face as Aragorn had right before he got sick on the Interceptor. But as Gandalf continued to chant, Jack found that he was no longer amused by his discovery, and he quickly became fearful again.

After a few moments Gandalf's chanting died down, and Boromir resumed his seat next to Will, who was gripping the arms of his chair tightly in fear. Looking to his left, Will mouthed 'nice going' to the bewildered and frightened man of the south as Elrond regained his composure and turned to Gandalf, looking less than pleased, to say the least. In fact, at that moment, Elrond looked every bit the ruler defending his people.

"Never before has any voice uttered words of that tongue here in Imladris, Gandalf the Grey!"

Gandalf's voice, when he responded, was raspier than usual, but he looked unrepentant. "I do not ask your pardon Master Elrond," here he looked around at the rest of the Council, "for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!"

Gandalf cast one more dirty look at Boromir before turning and making his way back to his seat next to Frodo. Boromir shook his head, refuting Gandalf's words as he again rose to his feet.

"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people, are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy! Let us use it against him!" As he spoke, he paced back and forth.

Aragorn leaned forward in his chair and cast a stern look at Boromir, before speaking, his voice as stern as his look. "You cannot wield it! The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master!"

Boromir, who had been facing Legolas, turned and looked back at Aragorn, taking a few steps closer to the ranger. "And what would a ranger know of this matter?" he asked coolly.

Legolas suddenly rose to his feet behind Boromir, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Aragorn's face fell as he caught the wide-eyed look on Frodo's face and the mixed emotions on Boromir's. Thanks a lot, Legolas.

Boromir stared at Aragorn for several long moments in shock. All that kept running through the man's mind was the image of an incredibly goofy Aragorn at breakfast, doing his imitation of Jack's drunken swagger around the dining hall. Needless to say, it wasn't a very distinguished act, certainly not the behavior of a King. This has to be a mistake.

"Aragorn, this…is Isildur's heir?"

Aragorn's face became impassive and emotionless as Legolas spoke again to confirm Boromir's doubts. "And heir to the throne of Gondor."

Will rubbed his forehead, cringing, This isn't good, while Jack rolled his eyes at the elf prince, recalling when he had lectured Jack about Aragorn's identity being a secret. At least I didn't say anything in front of a large gathering of people!

The pirate muttered something along those lines under his breath, knowing full well that Legolas would likely hear him. Looking at Legolas he caught the prince giving him a dirty look. Good, take a hint.

Aragorn shook his head. "Havo dad, Legolas." Sit down, Legolas. Meanwhile, the ranger was thinking, before you blab any more secrets, even while his face remained impassive.

There was an awkward moment of silence before Boromir turned to the prince with narrowed eyes. "Gondor has no King. Gondor needs no King." Boromir returned to his seat, giving Aragorn a death glare as he did so. Aragorn lowered his eyes, sighing sadly as Gandalf spoke up in agreement with not using the Ring.

Elrond rose from his seat once the unexpected drama had ended, addressing the entire Council. "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."

"Then what are we waiting for?" A dwarf called out as he jumped from his seat with his axe in hand, and ran over to the podium, slamming the axe down on top of the Ring. The axe shattered as it hit the Ring, and the dwarf was thrown back a few feet, while Frodo groaned and winced in pain, as the Eye of Sauron flashed in his mind and whispers in the Black Speech issued from the Ring.

Elrond looked down coolly at the dwarf. "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came! One of you must do this."

Dead silence fell over the assembly as they let Elrond's word sink in. Will sunk lower into his seat next to Boromir, while Jack just sat in his own seat seemingly unfazed and more than a little annoyed for some reason, as he murmured under his breath, "Why don't you just take it yourself?"

Aragorn smacked Jack on the arm and nodded towards the elf lord, who was giving the pirate a very dirty look. Jack sunk lower into his chair as he saw several of the other elves also giving him dirty looks. Damn elvish hearing!

"One does not simply walk into Mordor…"

Everyone's attention was again drawn to Boromir, who was looking almost as nervous and twitchy as the two otherworldly strangers. "…its Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, and ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"

Legolas jumped up from his seat, enraged, his eyes staring down at Boromir. "Have you heard nothing that Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

"Oh, and I suppose that you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli challenged the elf, who in turn gave him the mother of all death glares.

Before he even registered what he was doing, Jack also got to his feet and retorted, "And who do you suppose should do this, elf-boy? No one will volunteer to take the Ring after hearing about the lovely picture that Lord Elrond and Boromir have painted for us!"

Jack shook his head slightly, confused at his own actions and Legolas' as well. The elf was always able to keep his temper under control. Looking to his left slightly, Jack caught sight of the Ring, and he heard its call in his head and understood what had happened to cause his and the prince's outburst. Stupid Ring.

Boromir also rose from his seat, arguing. "And if we fail what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Aragorn rolled his eyes as Gimli hopped off his chair and declared that he would rather be dead before seeing the Ring in the hands of an elf. This remark made the other elves leap to their feet and bolt at Gimli, only to be restrained by Legolas, even as the dwarf kept shouting "Never trust an elf!" Will also rose from his seat, not to fight, but to try and inch his way over to Aragorn, one of the few who wasn't bickering amongst the others, along with Jack, who had backed off and resumed his seat.

Frodo also remained seated, watching the Ring uneasily as the angry figures of the Council began to reflect on its surface. Suddenly, flames flared up and engulfed the surface of the Ring and the arguing Council members as the intensity of the arguments increased. Frodo felt determination slowly rise up within him. He stood, taking a few steps toward the arguing Council, trying to make his voice heard above them.

"I will take it! I will take it!"

The fighting ceased as everyone looked at the little hobbit in astonishment as he continued, "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though-- I do not know the way."

Gandalf nodded slightly as he walked toward the young hobbit. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." The wizard placed a weathered hand on Frodo's shoulder as he spoke.

Aragorn stood from his chair, looking tall and proud. "If by my life, or death, I can protect you, I will." Aragorn walked over to Frodo and knelt down in front of him. "You have my sword."

As the ranger regained his feet, Legolas smiled and followed his friend's lead. "And you have my bow."

Gimli raised his axe and walked over to the small gathering. "And my axe!" Legolas and Gimli both made faces at each other, but otherwise didn't comment.

"You carry the fate of us all little one," stated Boromir as he looked over the others. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

Sam suddenly burst from the bushes behind Aragorn and came running up to stand next to Frodo. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!"

Elrond shook his head wryly. "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret Council, and you are not." Sam blushed as Frodo smiled at him.

"I'm coming too, mate."

Aragorn and Legolas were both shocked when they saw Jack come up to Frodo. The pirate continued, "I have helped to protect you before and I promise to continue to do so, until this task is done." As Jack stood beside Aragorn, the ranger blinked in astonishment when Jack winked and flashed a smile at him. "Savvy?"

Aragorn and Legolas both barely managed to restrain a laugh at the familiar sight of the cocky captain.

From the other side of the balcony, towards the house, came another shout. "Oi! We're coming too!" Elrond spun around as two more hobbits, Merry and Pippin, darted past him to stand at Frodo's side.

Merry declared, "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!"

For a moment, Elrond looked like he was actually considering taking the hobbit up on his suggestion. Pippin, the smaller of the two new hobbits spoke up. "Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest…thing."

Gandalf sighed and rolled his eyes, as Merry, the first hobbit whispered. "Well, that rules you out, Pip." Pippin nodded proudly at first, and then Merry's comment sunk in and he shot a glare at his cousin.

Elrond studied the group. "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

Pippin grinned. "Great! So…where are we going?" Frodo and the other hobbits stared at him and just sighed, while Aragorn and Legolas choked back laughs and Gandalf bit back a small smile and shook his head.

Meanwhile, Jack had been staring at Will, wondering why the other man was not volunteering to go along. Indeed, Will was still in his seat, simply watching the proceedings.

Jack glanced at the twins, then at Aragorn, before looking back at Will. Oh, don't worry, Will. You will be coming with us on this quest…I'll make sure of it. He slowly grinned at Will, and took great joy in seeing Will blink and cringe nervously in response. Jack chuckled to himself. Oh, yes. I'll just need a bit of help.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **_**I own nothing. I am making no money off of this blah blah on to the story!**_

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 6**

Jack continued to stare at Will while the other Council members, save for the newly formed Fellowship and Elrond and the twins all left the veranda. A slow smile crept onto the pirate captain's face as he thought about his next course of action. _This should be pretty easy_. Jack leaned a little closer to the ranger standing next to him.

Dropping his voice to a whisper, Jack spoke to Aragorn. "Do you think that you could play along with something, when the time comes?"

"And what might this thing be?" Aragorn asked the grinning pirate, a little concerned. The Valar only knew what Jack was planning or coming up with off the top of his head.

Jack smirked and began motioning his with his head in Will's direction, much as he had when he had been speaking with Gibbs in Tortuga. The blacksmith was still sitting his seat, not paying any attention to what the pirate was up to. Aragorn also felt a slight smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he caught on to what Jack was planning. "No problem, _mellon nin_."

Jack looked back once more to Will, before he stepped closer to Lord Elrond, who was in the middle of a conversation with Gandalf. Clearing his throat, the pirate drew the elf's attention away from the wizard.

"Well, Lord Elrond, I believe we still have one more person joining us on this little quest."

Elrond looked at the grinning pirate questioningly, as well as a little wary. He had seen that same smirk on his son's faces too many times, and one could never be sure what it heralded. "And just who would this eleventh member be, Master Sparrow?"

"Actually, if we are going to be using titles, I would prefer CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, and that eleventh member would be none other than our dear young William, savvy?" Jack replied good-naturedly to Elrond, who was frowning slightly.

Will, who had been paying very little attention to what was going on, suddenly snapped to attention as Jack's words registered, and he leapt to his feet. "Oh no, no I am not going on another adventure with you two- err three, again!"

Legolas frowned slightly when Will changed the two to three. "Hey, I was barely involved in your little 'save Elizabeth' quest last time, so don't include me! And besides, I heard that you, Aragorn, and Jack all had so much fun the last time, so I don't understand why you don't want to come."

Aragorn smirked and winked at Jack almost imperceptibly before putting in his own two cents. "Oh, come on Will! It will be just like old times! You can shove me down a flight of stairs, I can knock your legs out from under you and threaten you again; it will be fun!" Aragorn said persuasively, a wicked grin spreading across his features.

Will just continued to shake his head no. "Forget it; I'm not gallivanting around Middle-Earth to try to destroy some Dark Lord's ring of power. My life isn't that of a wanderer's, and I want to go home, home to Elizabeth."

Jack nodded in understanding. "It's okay, besides you're probably too scared to go along."

"Wait, who said I was scared?" Will asked a little angrily.

"Well, it's just that you seemed scared when we were commandeering the Dauntless…" Jack said, allowing the taunt to trail off suggestively.

Predictably, Will protested that insult. "I wasn't scared, I just thought that you were nuts for wanting to steal a ship!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Not stole, commandeered, the three of us commandeered the Dauntless, and that also applies to the Interceptor. Please try to memorize your nautical terms, boy."

"It doesn't matter what word you use, we still stole a ship and I was not scared!"

"Well, you were a little scared at the time Will," Aragorn added.

Will narrowed his eyes at the ranger and pirate and huffed angrily. _I'll show them_! He turned to Elrond, who was looking almost as amused as the twins standing on either side of him, and straightening his stance announced to the elf lord that he wanted to accompany Frodo on the quest. Elrond didn't even get a chance to ask Will if he was certain of his decision before the blacksmith took leave of them and headed back up to his room. Elrond sighed as he turned back to Gandalf.

"Well, I believe we have just added an eleventh member to the Fellowship." Jack smiled triumphantly at Aragorn, who was looking thoroughly amused with the whole turn of events.

"What exactly are you a captain of Jack?" Boromir asked when his curiosity finally got the better of him.

"I am captain of the _Black Pearl_, which I might add, is the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean." Jack stated proudly to the man of the South, who was suddenly looking less than pleased.

Boromir turned to Aragorn. "You would allow him, a corsair, to come along on this quest? Are you mad?"

Jack frowned and rolled his eyes. _Great, here we go with the 'pirates are no good' speech, AGAIN_.

"Hey, I swore to protect Frodo to the end, and I will."

Boromir turned to Jack. "I know of pirates and their ways, Captain Sparrow, and no pirate has ever been commended for his loyalty or good will towards others."

Aragorn was quickly becoming irritated with Boromir's attitude towards Jack, and began defending his friend. "The let him be the first, for Jack is as loyal and trustworthy as any man here, and I speak from experience. He took me in and watched after me when he found me beaten and half-dead on the streets, and he helped Will rescue his love Elizabeth."

Boromir sighed, still unconvinced that the pirate should go. "Surely I am not the only one who feels that it is foolish to have a Pirate traveling with us?"

Legolas shrugged. "He is indeed a worthy man, pirate or no. I have also traveled with him and though my time with him was shorter than that of Aragorn's, he proved his quality many times over. I feel it would be foolish not to bring him along."

Pippin suddenly piped up, adding his own opinion to Jack's defense. "And he also helped to protect us from the Ringwraiths at Amon Sul!"

Gandalf's face became serious when Boromir shifted his gaze to him, trying to gain the wizard's support. "I also have to agree with Aragorn and Legolas on this matter Boromir. Jack stays."

"So what I believe they are saying Boromir is that is comes down to a decision of what you can or can't do…" Jack began as he cockily smiled at Boromir.

Aragorn also smiled as Jack began using his famous speech on Boromir and wondered if it would work on the man from Gondor as well as it had on Will, and himself to an extent.

"…for instance you can accept the fact that you are indeed traveling with a pirate and move on, or you can choose not to and back out of your promise to Frodo here. Like I said, the choice is yours, savvy?"

"So do you still feel that he shouldn't go?" Aragorn asked after several moments of silence, eyeing Boromir, and waiting for his answer.

Boromir lowered his eyes and sighed, deciding to at least try to keep an open mind about the pirate even though he still didn't like the situation, "I promised that I would see it done and I will."

Jack again smiled triumphantly as he spoke. "Very good, and now, if I am not mistaken I believe that I heard Lord Elrond and Gandalf saying that we are leaving tomorrow afternoon…" Jack paused and looked to Gandalf, who confirmed that he was correct, before continuing, "…so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and get packed."

As Jack moved away from the group, his swagger more noticeable than ever, something important, or rather very important to him crossed his mind. He stopped and glanced back at Gandalf.

"Oh, Gandalf, before I forget, I wanted to ask you where I can get some rum for this little outing."

"What is rum?" Sam asked quizzically.

"It is a type of alcohol…" Aragorn sighed before continuing to break the bad news to his pirate friend; _He's going to go ballistic!_ "…that doesn't exist in this world."

Aragorn cringed as Jack slowly turned around before coming towards the ranger, looking a little possessed. "What do you mean there is no rum?! How can there be no rum here?!"

"Well I…umm Jack, I've traveled all over Middle-Earth and I can assure you that I have looked for it everywhere I went, but it doesn't exist here…" Aragorn backed away from the pirate, whose face was now right in Aragorn's. "I'm sorry."

By this point the ranger had backed right into the chairs behind him and he cringed even more when he realized that he had no escape from the pirate, who at this point was nearly hyperventilating. "I'm sorry? That's all you have to say? How can you be so calm about this? You and Legolas have both experienced the joys of rum; you even said it was your friend! Is this how you treat your friends, Estel?"

Aragorn didn't answer, but looked over Jack's shoulder at Elrond, giving his foster father his best 'Daddy please save me!' face, which he usually reserved for when he was in trouble with the twins. Elrond shook his head as he made his way up behind Jack and both gently and forcefully pulled him away from Aragorn.

"Come now, Captain Sparrow, we do not have any rum, but I can spare a few bottles of that spiced wine that you seemed to enjoy so much." Elrond informed the pouting pirate good-naturedly.

"But it's not the same!" protested Jack as Elrond led him back inside the main house.

Aragorn sank down into the chair that he had backed into in a daze and looked at the faces of the others around him. Elladan and Elrohir stood off in a corner with Figwit, rolling on the ground laughing, Legolas and Gandalf looked like they weren't far behind, Gimli and Boromir both looked unsure about what to make of Jack's outburst, and the hobbits just looked plain scared.

Leaning forward, Aragorn rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands and murmured, "My life just flashed before me."

Legolas easily picked up on the muttered words and lost all control, bursting out laughing. "Oh Strider, the last time I saw you make a face like that was when you crossed paths with that baby skunk while we were fishing that one night!"

Aragorn's head shot up and his face paled as he screamed Legolas' name in both shock and horror when he realized that everyone was going to find out about his smelly skunk encounter a few years back. He slipped out as quickly and quietly as he could when Legolas, egged on by the twins, began to tell the tale, and made his way up the stairs.

The ranger was about to go into his own room when he heard a noise coming from his father's study just down the hall.

Elrond looked up from the document he had been reading at his desk when he heard the door creak open, and saw Aragorn's head peering in at him.

"Can I come in Ada?"

Elrond smiled and waved his son into the room. "'Of course Estel, now what can I do for you?"

Aragorn walked in and flopped down onto the couch facing the fireplace with a sigh. "Legolas is down there telling everybody about the skunk mishap from two years ago, and I need a place to hide from my new tormentors."

Elrond looked at his son with a slight smile on his face. He remembered that night quite well, and so did his nose as a matter of fact. Aragorn and Legolas had been on a hunting trip with the twins and they had gotten bored one night, so they had decided to go fishing, which had been innocent enough. The next part of the story had always been somewhat unclear, but from what Elrond had been able to piece together, Aragorn had gone to relieve himself and then the unfortunate confrontation with the baby skunk happened.

Legolas claimed that Aragorn had screamed bloody murder, and when he got to the ranger, he was flailing about yelling obscenities and stinking beyond belief. And that was the condition that Elrond had gotten his son back in, stinking and yelling. Elrond couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered that it had taken eight baths with a special herbal mixture in the water to get Aragorn smelling even remotely normal again.

Aragorn looked up at the grinning elf lord and grumbled, "Go ahead and laugh, I'm sure everyone else is right now. Valar, the last thing I needed was for Elladan and Elrohir to be reminded of that, and just when they had finally forgotten about it too!"

Elrond controlled his laughter the best that he could, and came over to take a seat next to his frowning foster son. "I have a story about your brothers and Legolas you may enjoy."

Aragorn's head snapped around and a hopeful expression appeared on his face. "Which one would that be?"

Elrond worried his lower lip for a moment, "I don't know if I should tell you…"

Aragorn placed a hand on his father's right shoulder. "No, please! I am begging you!"

Elrond smiled as he looked over his youngest son and began to tell the long and entertaining tale. As the story progressed, Aragorn's face slowly changed from shock, to glee, and then to a look of evil anticipation.

Later that night…

Will again rolled over restlessly. _I can't believe I fell for it!_ Will could kick himself for letting himself fall into Jack's trap. But he figured it was too late to back out now for two reasons. The first was the fact that the Fellowship was leaving the next day, and the second being that if he backed out now, everyone would believe that Jack and Aragorn had been right. _I'm screwed_.

Frowning, Will sat up as a soft clanking noise filtered in through the thick wooden door to his room. He slipped out of bed and crossed the room. As silently as he could, Will opened the door and peered out into the hallway.

"What in God's name are you doing?"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: **__**I own nothing. I am making no money off of this blah blah on to the story!**_

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 7**

Aragorn jumped and spun around in the direction that the exclamation had come from, only to spot Will's head peering around the doorframe at him. Aragorn frowned as he placed a finger over his lips. "Shhh! I need Jack asleep for this!"

Will slowly exited his room and made his way over to where Aragorn was crouched on the floor in front of Jack's door. He eyed the items surrounding the ranger with a mixed combination of suspicion and curiosity. There were four bowls in total, two of which held brightly colored mixtures with the texture of thick, sticky mud. The third bowl held a mixture of dark-colored berries, most of which were blueberries. Aragorn was measuring careful mixtures of herbs into the fourth. Will stood and watched the ranger for a few moments, before an acrid smell that he recognized reached his nose. He winkled his nose in distaste.

"And why are you drugging Jack this time?" Will asked, rather dryly as Aragorn soaked a folded piece of cloth in the mixture and stuck it in his coat pocket, avoiding taking any deep breaths as he did so. The blacksmith crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow as he waited for the ranger's reply.

"I have my reasons Will." Aragorn replied as he rose to his feet. Will didn't move, and continued to stare at Aragorn until the ranger finally sighed. "Fine. Jack is getting a little payback for spying on me the other night. Happy now?" Aragorn rolled his eyes.

Will smirked ever so slightly, "I would think that you'd be paying Legolas back for telling everyone about your little mishap with the skunk earlier."

Aragorn's eyes darkened as he eyed Will suspiciously. "How did you find out about that? You weren't even there!"

Will shrugged, "Boromir told me. Honestly, I've never seen anyone laugh so hard in my life."

Aragorn just grumbled and made a mental note to KILL Boromir later on. Right now it was Jack's turn for payback. _One by one_. Aragorn grabbed Will by the shoulders and gently moved him away from the door so he could begin the task of picking Jack's lock.

"Where did you learn to pick locks?" Will asked.

Aragorn glanced back at him. "My father. He said it might come in handy sometime."

"Lord Elrond taught you to pick locks?!" Will asked in surprise.

Aragorn nodded. "Yes. And he was right. That knowledge has been invaluable for playing pranks on my brothers and Legolas."

Will just shook his head as Aragorn fiddled with the doorknob and again looked at the brightly colored substances, "What are these for?""What are what for?""Those bowls of...colored mud." Aragorn smiled broadly, "Those, my friend, are herbal mixtures as well. It's a prank my brothers pulled on Legolas long before I was even born."

After a few more minutes of picking the lock to the door was thrown with a satisfying click. Will worried his lower lip for a moment contemplating his thoughts. _Oh, hell this opportunity may never come again! Besides I owe Jack as well_.

"May I help?" Aragorn turned around and fixed a surprised look on Will who was grinning evilly.

"Are you sure you want a part in this?" Aragorn began grinning as well when Will nodded his head vigorously. "Very well, grab those bowls and follow me.

"Will took a step back and examined his work the way an artist would examine his finest piece. "I think I'm missing something here...oh! Should I do his beard?"Aragorn took a step back as well to try and get a look at the whole picture and then nodded in agreement, "Go for it, but remember to try and go lightly with it. I don't know if I made these mixtures right."Will shook his head, "You are truly evil Strider."

"Hey if you grew up with my brothers, you'd have a slightly evil side as well." Aragorn jokingly pointed out. THE NEXT MORNING...Aragorn woke the next morning to the satisfying shrieks of a very freaked out pirate captain. _Oh revenge is sweet_. Cheerfully tossing the covers off him, the ranger nearly skipped his way to the door which he flung open eagerly, and there standing in the middle of the hall way was Jack screaming God only knows what and hopping around like Barbossa's monkey. _So that's why they named the monkey Jack_!

After a few moments others began emerging from their rooms as well to see what the commotion was. Several of them, Elladan and Elrohir in particular, were having trouble hiding smiles and laughter. Jack stood shaking with fury at his current state. Thanks to Aragorn's handy work, along with the aid of the blueberries, the ranger had dyed the pirate's exposed skin a deep purple and Will had added his own touches by using the brightly colored herbal mixtures to dye the pirate's dreadlocks and beard extremely bright shades of orange and green. As entertaining as it was Aragorn prayed he had made the mixtures right. If not then Jack was doomed to be sporting his rainbow hair color for a LONG time.

"You little bastard!" Jack screamed suddenly causing Aragorn to jump. Looking in the direction his friend was he spotted Will, who apparently hadn't cleaned himself off very well, as his hands and sleeping tunic were still orange and green. As Jack went flying by, swearing to God that he was going to kill him, Aragorn became very happy at the fact that he and his partner in crime had decided that if they were caught it was going to be every man for himself.

"I wonder where Will got the idea or help for that one from Estel." Aragorn narrowed his eyes jokingly as he looked at Legolas who was staring at him accusingly.

"I don't know. Maybe he got the idea from one of my brothers. After all they were the ones who made your hair red and blue, right? Wait, was pink in that color category as well?"

Legolas shook his head and groaned, "Don't remind me. I finally lived down that nightmare."

"Like how I had that little story you told everyone yesterday!"Legolas couldn't help smiling ever so slightly, "I'm sorry, but you must admit if it were about me you would have enjoyed every minute of it."Aragorn smiled as well. Oh if Legolas only knew the dirt he had on him courtesy of Elrond.

"Just keep telling yourself that when I tell everyone about..."

Legolas fidgeted a little uncomfortably as Aragorn looked him up and down obviously holding back his laughter, "Tell everyone what?"

"Oh nothing, _mellon nin_." Aragorn replied as he made his way back into his room. _Just wait and see_._CRAP!_ Aragorn looked around and then quickly tucked his hands inside his pockets. Apparently he hadn't done too good a job of getting rid of all the evidence of his involvement with the prank on Jack either, seeing as his hands were still slightly purple. And having discovered this while waiting for the rest of the members of the Fellowship to arrive so they could depart, he wouldn't have a chance to go and remove the incriminating evidence. Aragorn nonchalantly began looking to the other members of the fellowship also gathered to see who would be able to help. _Merry and Pippin...no they'll slip and blab; I don't think Legolas has anything useful... _

"Boromir may I speak with you?" Aragorn asked cheerfully. Boromir made his way over to Aragorn slowly, occasionally sniffing the air as if the skunk smell still lingered about the Ranger.

Aragorn rolled his eyes highly annoyed "Ha-ha, very funny Boromir. You wouldn't happen to have an extra pair of gloves on you would you?"

"No, only the ones I am wearing now, why?" Boromir asked as he eyed Aragorn, who was looking a little devastated by the fact that he didn't have an extra set of gloves, suspiciously.Aragorn gave Boromir his best pleading face he asked the man if he could borrow the ones he was wearing now.

"I swear I'll get them back to you soon."

Boromir continued to eye Aragorn as he slipped his black leather gloves off and held them out to the ranger, who graciously accepted them and then quickly slipped them on. But not quickly enough.Leaning in Boromir whispered, "I'll take it that I'll be getting them back when the blueberry stains wear off?"

Aragorn's eyes went wide. The last thing he needed was for him to tell Jack that he was also involved. Especially now that Jack was in an almighty pissed off mood. And no one could blame him since the mixtures' measurements were indeed wrong and had permanently dyed the pirate Captain's hair. So the only option that was left was to cut off the dyed dreadlocks and shave off Jack's beard.

"You aren't going to tell him are you?"

"Fear not Aragon, I won't say a word..." Boromir smirked evilly and patted Aragorn on the shoulder before he moved off to resume his spot next to Legolas, "...at least not yet anyways."

Aragorn rolled his eyes again and cursed under his breath, _Just great_. They only waited a few moments longer before Gandalf, accompanied by a very guilty looking Will, emerged along with Sam, Frodo and after some coaxing, a clean shaven Jack who was lacking some of his raven-colored locks but you never would have noticed since he had so much hair to begin with. Aragorn then noticed that Elrond had finally talked Jack into removing the beads and leather from his hair as well.

Aragorn smiled at his friend as he came up next him. "It's not as bad as you think _mellon nin_. Your beard will grow back soon enough and you can't even notice your hair."

Elrond cleared his throat breaking up the conversations and studied the group as he began, "The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you…"A few of the other members looked at Legolas and Aragorn strangely as they placed their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads when Elrond spread his arms.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer," Gandalf said. Frodo took one last quick glance at his surroundings before he turned and began to lead the group out of Rivendell.

"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?"

"Left," Gandalf replied as he placed a weathered hand on the young hobbit's shoulder and guided him to the left followed by the others, all except for one. Aragorn hung back from the others and took one last look at his father, who smiled at him reassuringly along with his brothers who were standing off to the left with Figwit and a few of their other friends. Lastly his gaze rested on Arwen who looked at him sadly. He smiled and nodded slightly to her before he let his eyes scan his home, his true home, one last time.

Legolas shook his head as watched Aragorn sadly trudge along. Something then came to him that he thought may lighten both he and the sulking pirate's moods. Everyone listened intently as the elf broke into song.

"We pillage, we plunder, we riffle and loot. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!"

Aragorn chuckled and then joined in with the part he remembered, "We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!"

"You both sang that completely out of order." Jack announced.

Aragorn shrugged his shoulders, "Well we were kind of drunk when you taught us that song, Jack."

"Ah but as pirates you are meant to remember the song, savvy. Oh, and the Code, right Will?"

Will, who was walking with Merry and Boromir, who had lost interest in the conversation long ago, shook his head, his face turning to one of disgust. "Jack, that Code should be banned from use."

"Ah, this talk about pirates has reminded me about something I need to talk to Will and Jack about." Gandalf said as he stopped and turned around to look at the group.

"Actually I believe this would be a good time for a break. Samwise, why don't you prepare some food while I talk to Will and Jack."

Sam smiled and removed his heavy pack from his shoulders. "As you wish Gandalf."

"What is it you need to talk to us about mate?" Jack asked curiously.

"Well Master Sparrow the subject of pirates is never a good one and I believe it would be best if you kept that to yourself. In fact it may be of greater benefit for you both to take on different names and introduce yourselves as Rangers from now on." Gandalf said with a smile as he looked both of the outworlders over. Elrond had been generous in providing clothing for the blacksmith and pirate, and now both of them looked a great deal like Aragorn in the way they were dressed.

Will frowned a little, "Why Rangers?"

Gandalf just smiled kindly at the young man. "Because we just happen to be traveling with the chieftain of the Rangers of the North and it would be easier to pass you off as two of his kin, than say perhaps, as elves."

"Well just how do we get ranger names mate?" Jack asked the smiling wizard.

Aragorn stepped closer, "That's where I come in _mellon nin_."

"Have you decided on two names yet Aragorn?" Gandalf asked the Ranger cocking an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes I have. Jack your new name shall be Elendur, which was the name of the eldest son of Isildur, and Will yours is Ciryon the name of the younger son of Isildur."

"Why the names of two such important people?" Will asked Aragorn, who just shrugged.

"Do not question my judgment Ciryon nor you Elendur." Aragorn stated before Jack could protest.

Jack frowned a little. "Why are you using these names now, mate?"

"Because you are going to have to get used to answering to them Jack." answered Aragorn.

"He should know Jack; after all as Elizabeth told me, he is the man of a thousand names." Will said mockingly.

Aragorn rolled his eyes as he headed back over to where Sam was cooking up some sausages followed by Gandalf, leaving the two where they were. Jack sighed, "Well Ciryon I guess we should go and rest while we can, savvy?"

Will chuckled as he got up from the rock he was seated on and followed Jack.

"I'm never going to get used to these new names Jack, I mean, Elendur."

"See you're catching on already Elendur."

"Jack that's your name, mine is Ciryon."

"Dammit! Aragorn, couldn't you have picked easier names to remember?!"

Aragorn just continued to chew his food as Jack continued to complain. _This __is going to be a LONG trip_.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: **__**I own nothing. I am making no money off of this blah blah on to the story!**_

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 8**

Aragorn leaned back against a rock behind him and took another puff from his pipe as he watched Boromir spar with Merry and Pippin, who were picking up on sword play quite quickly. With each move of their blades Boromir counted along so the hobbits could try and keep track.

"Two, one, five. Good. Very good!" he said to Merry encouragingly as he turned to Pippin and did the same.

Aragorn watched the Hobbit and called out to him, "Move your feet."

"You look good Pippin." Merry said in approval.Pippin turned to his friend and smiled saying thanks as Boromir began once again fighting with Merry.

"Faster!"

As Aragorn watched the two fight, he was reminded of Jack and Boromir's little experiment with sword fighting just the other day. It had started out with the two bickering about who was the better swordsman. How they gotten onto this topic Aragorn had no idea, especially since the two had never fought nor been in battle together. So Jack had decided that they should put it to the test and have a friendly fight. Boromir, not being one to turn down a challenge, quickly accepted.

It had started out simply enough, with the two testing each other out and occasionally having a laugh, mainly at Jack for all his fancy footwork. And that was just how Jack figured he could best Boromir. He had seen Aragorn's fighting style, which even though it had some tight moves, courtesy of the elves, was still pretty much an all-out brawl. So Jack was willing to bet that the Lord of Gondor's style wasn't much different. Sure enough it wasn't and within a few minutes Jack had out-maneuvered his opponent, somehow knocking Boromir flat on his back.

"You really need to work on your footwork, mate." Jack had said to Boromir, who was extremely pissed and extremely embarrassed, mockingly.

Will had frowned, highly annoyed, "No, you need to work on fighting fairly Jack."J

ack had shrugged innocently giving his best explanation, "What else would you expect from a pirate?"

Aragorn shook his head. Boromir, at that point, had decided not to play by the rules either and had kicked Jack's legs out from under him, and as soon as Jack had regained his footing the two went at it again, neither holding anything back. This brawl had lasted much longer than the first and Jack had been so worried about out-maneuvering his opponent again that he had actually worn himself out with all his footwork. So not much later Boromir managed to knock Jack's sword out of this hand and that's where Legolas and Aragorn had both gotten involved. Jack had one more dirty trick up his sleeve and reaching behind his back he whipped out his pistol, which he had somehow managed to keep hidden from Aragorn from their reunion in Bree up until now. Once they saw it, Legolas and Aragorn both dove in between the two, putting the fight to an end. Jack hadn't been sure why the elf and ranger had reacted the way they had. After all, even though the two had held nothing back, they were still careful not to injure each other, and it wasn't like he had the actual intention to shoot Boromir; he was just trying to prove his point about pirates and fighting fair.

And Boromir had been just as confused. He didn't understand what was so dangerous about the thing Jack had pulled on him and so he didn't understand Aragorn's and Legolas' reaction either. But of course he had no real comprehension about just how dangerous Jack's foreign weapon was, whereas the elf and ranger, who had actual experience with the weapon, understood quite well what it could do. So it had been up to them, along with Will, to explain to an extent the about the weapon to the other members of the Fellowship.

Unfortunately the majority of the group still didn't quite grasp the whole concept of a gun. Aragorn had a slight suspicion that Gandalf knew at least a little bit about the effects of the pistol, but the wizard hadn't said anything. The three decided to just drop the explanation, and Jack was instructed to keep the gun hidden and to only use it as a last resort.

Aragorn chuckled as he looked over to his friend who was sprawled out on a rock nearby, out cold. They hadn't had many rests for the last few days and it was easy to see that it was taking its toll on both Jack and Will who were not used to this sort of travel just yet. Will was also resting nearby, and though he wasn't asleep yet, he wasn't far from it.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome." Gimli said to Gandalf.

"That's right we're not." Legolas said with a disgusted roll of his eyes. Will just chuckled lightly at his elf look-alike. One thing he had learned very early on, Elves and Dwarves hated each other with a passion. _Why do they hate each other so much?_

Will got up from his seat as Gandalf and Gimli discussed a course through Moria and walked over to the opposite side where Legolas now was, staring off into the distance. "Say Legolas I have a question, why do elves and…Legolas?" Will's question fell short as the elf just continued to stare with a worried expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"What do you see off to the south Will?" Will looked where the elf was looking to see a dark form moving towards them, but there was no way he could distinguish it.

"I don't know Legolas; I don't have your elf eyes remember?"

Legolas didn't answer but narrowed his eyes, trying to see what the moving mass was while Will called for Gandalf. Meanwhile Boromir was once again fighting Pippin when his blade slipped and accidentally nicked the hobbit's hand. Pippin hissed in pain and backed away shaking his hand in pain giving Boromir a death glare as he did so. Boromir's eyes went wide and he took a step closer to the Hobbit as he exclaimed, "Sorry!"

Jack, who had finally woken up, and Aragorn laughed in amusement at the Hobbit's answer to the apology, which was giving Boromir a solid kick in the shin, which made the man hiss in pain and hop back on one foot. Merry took advantage of this and yelled for Pippin to get him as he dove into the man. With Pippin's help, Merry brought Boromir down to the ground in a mock fight; which made Boromir and Aragorn both laugh.

Jack, on the other hand, looked annoyed. "Now why wasn't I funny when I did that to him?"

"I guess he likes the Hobbits better than you, mate."

Jack pointed at Aragorn looking amused, "Ah, we are picking up on the pirate language again, I see."

Aragorn shrugged as he got up from his seat. "I guess it was inevitable."

Jack watched as Aragorn made his way over to the continuing mock battle and tried to pry the two hobbits off of Boromir, who was still laughing.

"Gentlemen, that's enough."As Aragorn placed a hand on one of each hobbits' shoulders they looked at each other, and in one swift movement each grabbed one of Aragorn's legs and flipped them out from underneath the unsuspecting Ranger, causing him to flail about in the air until he landed on the rocks, hard, causing Boromir, Jack and the hobbits to crack up even more then they already were.

Meanwhile, Will, Legolas and Gandalf all continued to stare off to the South as the dark, moving mass came closer and closer to them. Finally a few of the others noticed the dark form as well. "What is that?" Sam asked curiously.

"Nothing. It's just a whiff of cloud;" was Gimli's response until Boromir made another observation as he got up off the ground.

"It's moving fast, against the wind." It only took Legolas a few more seconds until he was able to identify what it was.

"Crebain from Dunland!"

Aragorn urgently called for everyone to hide as he ran over to where he had been sitting with Jack and grabbing his sword, took off for the rocky outcropping.

"Frodo! Hurry! Take cover!" He glanced back over his shoulder to Jack, who was moving off with Boromir to some of the bushes to hide, as Sam put out the fire. Everyone dove under rocks and bushes just before the black birds flew over, circled and then left the area heading back in the same direction they had come from.

Spies of Saruman! The passage South is being watched." Gandalf said as he and the rest of the fellowship emerged from their hiding spots. "We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

"And what exactly would that be, mate?" Jack asked, noticing the grim looks on all the faces present save for the Hobbits.

Gandalf didn't say anything, but he turned and looked further up the hill behind them, where a large snow-capped mountain rose towering above them.

Will and Jack looked off to the great snowy mountain with simultaneous groans of displeasure. Neither of them was looking forward to this new traveling route at all.

"I hate the snow, I hate the snow, I hate the bloody snow!" Jack exclaimed after tripping for the fourth time.

"Jack, do you hate the snow?" Legolas asked teasingly.

"Oh, shut up." Jack mumbled darkly to the elf prince, who he wasn't exactly too fond of at the moment. Not that Legolas himself had done anything wrong, it was just the fact that he couldn't feel the cold and was able to walk on top of the snow that pissed a freezing cold Jack off to no end. Suddenly, Frodo lost his footing and fell back with a small cry as he rolled down the slope he had been climbing, finally being stopped by Aragorn, who helped the young Hobbit regain his footing. Once he was back on his feet Frodo instinctively checked his neck for the Ring, only to find it missing. Looking up the slope Frodo spotted the Ring glistening against the white snow, until someone bent down and retrieved the lost article.

Will slowly rose up from his crouched position, staring at the Ring, mesmerized. He didn't understand what was so intriguing about the Ring, but he just couldn't take his eyes off of it.Aragorn's eyes widened a little when Will just stayed rooted where he was.

"Will?" Aragorn called his friend's name gently hoping to get Will's attention but to no avail. Slowly as the call got louder to him, Will reached out to touch the Ring. Just as his finger were about to caress the golden surface someone grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand away, snapping him out of his trance, and he finally registered someone calling out his Ranger name.

Looking straight ahead he spotted Aragorn and Frodo both staring at him, and looking to his left he spotted the person who had grabbed his wrist. "Jack, what happened?"Jack just smiled at the young man. "Maybe you should give Frodo back the Ring, mate."

Will looked at the chain he still grasped in his hand and instead of returning the Ring to it's bearer in his confusion he dropped it back down to the snow and quickly backed away from it.

"I'm sorry; I don't understand what happened or what came over me." As Will apologized his gaze rested on Frodo, who was looking at him with an expression Will didn't know how to interpret. He shyly looked to Aragorn, who was looking at him sympathetically, and Jack who had followed him as he backed away, and lowered his head in shame of being drawn in by the Ring.

"It could have happened to anyone of us Will..." Boromir said as he stepped forward and retrieved the ring from the snow "...it was not your fault."

Will just shrugged in acknowledgment to Boromir's words as the man returned the Ring to Frodo.

"Didn't I tell you before that you were obsessed with treasure?" Jack stated as he lightly elbowed Will's side.

"I am not obsessed with treasure!" Will yelled after Jack as the pirate headed back up the slope.Jack winked at Legolas as he passed him and Legolas smiled in understanding at what Jack was doing. His whole purpose to this argument was to get Will's mind off of the Ring and thankfully he knew just how to push his young friend's buttons.

"Oh and I suppose you aren't a pirate, eh?"

"I'm not!" Will loudly protested.Jack stopped suddenly and spun around facing Will.

"Do we need to run through the list _again_? You sprung me from jail, _twice_ I might add, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, and sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga and you are obsessed with treasure, because remember dear William not all treasure is silver and gold, savvy?"

Aragorn chuckled lightly as continued to argue with Jack as the rest of the fellowship moved off. Up ahead, the ranger could hear Legolas' musical laugh, and Gandalf's deeper one as they listened to the two outworlders bicker.

"You have some well…interesting friends Aragorn." Boromir said, stating the obvious as he also began to move off after Gandalf.

"And how I have missed them." Aragorn replied, thinking about how much he would have enjoyed having Will and Jack around the last sixty years or so.

As the fellowship continued to climb up the great mountain, naturally, the worse the weather got. It was snowing so hard now that you could barely even see the person in front of you. Merry shivered and clung tighter to Will, who wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and the shivering hobbit, as a cold blast of wind hit them. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Aragorn carrying Frodo and Boromir carrying Pippin, both looking just as miserable as he was. Just ahead of him was Jack who was openly bitching about the cold as he lugged Sam along. _He better stop soon or Gandalf is going to throw him off the side_. Will thought with amusement, as Gandalf glanced back at the complaining pirate, eyebrows bristling.

"How are things Will?"Peering out from under his hood Will could just make out Legolas, who was smirking at him.

"Things would be better if I weren't so cold."

"Funny, I don't feel a thing." Legolas replied with a twinkle in his eye. Will narrowed his eyes at the sarcastic elf.

"If you don't stop rubbing it in that you can't feel the cold, I'm going to get Jack and we'll dump you off this stinking mountain!"

"My my, don't we get cranky when we're cold."

Will grumbled as Legolas moved off to the font of the line, but he couldn't help but smile when he spotted even Gandalf giving the elf a dirty look.Legolas stepped out closer to the edge, picking up on a chanting that rose with the winds of the storm.

"There is a fell voice on the air!"

The chanting became a little louder and Gandalf knew exactly who it was, "It's Saruman!"

As if on cue the echoes of stones coming loose reached the Fellowship's ears and they quickly pressed themselves against the sheer cliff wall as the stones fell from above.

"He is trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf we must turn back!" Aragorn yelled through the storm urgently to the wizard who shook his head no as he stepped out onto the ledge.

Jack turned around to face in Aragorn's direction as he yelled, "And you said I was mad when we were on the Interceptor?!"

Aragorn would have responded to the pirate's comment, but he didn't have the time as a lightning bolt hit the top of the mountain sending an avalanche of snow and ice tumbling down on the Fellowship. Legolas went to the edge and grabbing Gandalf threw the both of them against the wall just before the ice fell onto them, burying them completely.After a few moments Legolas' head popped out of the snow followed closely by the rest of the Fellowship.

Boromir looked to Gandalf as he gave his best suggestion of what they should do. "We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!"

Aragorn shook his head in disagreement and yelled to him, "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"

Gimli piped up next, saying that if they couldn't pass over the mountain they should go under it through the mines of Moria. Gandalf was silent for a long moment, a shadow of doubt passing over his face. "Let the Ring bearer decide..."

Boromir held Pippin, who was looking rather pale, along with the other hobbits, closer to him as he again yelled over the storm to Gandalf. "We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!"

"...Frodo?" Gandalf prompted when the Hobbit didn't answer, ignoring Boromir for the moment.Frodo looked up at Gandalf who was awaiting his decision.

"We will go through the Mines."

"So be it."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: **__**I own nothing. I am making no money off of this blah blah on to the story!**_

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 9**

The Fellowship had descended Caradhras and were now making their way along a rather large rock wall that ran beside a large lake, knocking and prying at it trying to locate the doors to Moria.

"And just why do we need to knock on the wall again?" Jack asked, feeling a little ridiculous as he knocked his fist onto another part of the wall.

"Because Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli informed the Pirate as he tapped on the rock with his axe.

"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf called back, overhearing the comment.

Legolas just rolled his eyes again and as usual made a jest at the dwarf's expense. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Gimli as much as he would have loved to retort, kept his thoughts to himself and grumbled at the elf. After a few more moments of searching, Gandalf paused running his hands along portion of the wall between two twisted, gnarled trees.

"Now let's see. Ithildin, it mirrors only starlight and moonlight..."Taking a step back from the doors Gandalf glanced up at the black night sky; and the moon appeared. Framed by the sharp shadows of the two trees, a web of silvery lines began to glow brightly, shining with sheer white light which outlined a large door. The glowing lines formed a pattern of two columns beneath an arch with a star in the center, and writing in a strange tongue appearing in the arch. Gimli stared in awe at the gate of his forefathers.

Gandalf took a step closer to the wall and then began to explain the writing, pointing with his gnarled staff. "It reads "The Doors of Durin - Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" asked a confused Merry.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open." replied Gandalf as he placed to tip of his staff upon the star and began to chant, "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen! (Gate of the Elves, open now for me!)"

Will and Jacked at each other amused when the doors didn't open and Gandalf was forced to try another spell which also failed to break the seal over them. Needless to say, the wizard was a quite cranky in his reply to Pippin when the hobbit asked what he was going to do. "Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words."

Legolas shifted his weight as he continued to watch Gandalf still trying after 20 minutes, to find the opening words for the doors. Shaking his head Legolas decided to try and rest while he could and took a seat next to Will who was staring off blankly into the dark waters of the large lake outside the gates. Will sighed loudly and looked to Legolas,"Gandalf gave that warning to Frodo, because of me didn't he ?"

Legolas shook his head no. Will had accidentally overheard a conversation between Gandalf and Frodo, in which the old wizard told the hobbit that evil would be drawn to him from outside the fellowship, and that he feared also from within.

"No, Will, Boromir was right. It would have happened to whoever picked up the Ring. Do you think you are the only one who has heard its call?"

Will sighed again, "No, I guess I'm not. It was just disturbing."

Legolas nodded in agreement. He too had been a little shaken by the Ring at the council, but he thanked the Valar that he had never gotten as close to the Ring as Will had. "I know." The elf paused for a moment, seeking for something to distract the blacksmith. Finally, he thought of something.

"I've been meaning to ask you how things have been back in the Caribbean."

Will smiled broadly as he thought of his home. "Good. Elizabeth has been running around planning the wedding."

Legolas' head shot up. "You're engaged, already?"

"No waiting around, I'm not going through that again!"

Legolas laughed at the words and understood Will's reasoning perfectly well. He had felt so badly for his young look alike when their final battle with Barbossa was over and he had talked to Elizabeth about returning to the Dauntless, and her new fiancé. Even Aragon, who disliked Will at the time, pitied him.

"So how did the Commodore take that news?" Legolas asked curiously. This time Will laughed.

"If you thought his normal death glares were bad, you should have seen the one I got when he was told the news. I swore he was going to spit blood."

"Who was going to spit blood?" Looking up they saw Aragorn approaching after having reprimanded Merry and Pippin for throwing stones into the lake.

"We were discussing your favorite man Estel, dear Commodore Norrington."Aragorn screwed up his face, something like the face Jack had made when Cotton had revealed his half a tongue, and took a seat next to Will.

"Why would you discus that man? Are our days not dark enough already?" At this, Will, Legolas and Jack, who had been eavesdropping, burst out laughing.

"Well to answer your question Strider, he looked like he was going to spit blood over young William and Elizabeth's engagement." Jack replied, while patting Will on the shoulder in congratulations.

Aragorn's smile faded as his thoughts drifted to the maiden he loved and was engaged to, Arwen. "Don't worry Estel, you and your beloved's wait is almost over." Legolas stated after observing his friend's mood change. He knew the man well enough to guess what was on his mind.

"Aragorn, are you engaged as well?" Will asked curiously with a hint of shock mixed in with his tone. Aragorn smiled broadly and nodded in response to his friend, whose face also lit up with a smile.

"I bet I know who it is."

Aragorn turned to face the pirate sitting behind him and raised his eyebrows. "Really; well then Elendur, tell me who you believe is my betrothed."

"The Lady Arwen of Rivendell. It's not a hard thing to guess, anyone with a drop of common sense could see the love between you two. That and I also caught you two kissing on the bridge the night before the council so that was kind of a give away, savvy?" Jack said arrogantly.

Will rubbed a hand over his mouth hiding his smile from Jack when he realized that was what Aragorn had been referring to when he said Jack was getting payback for spying on him. Aragorn rolled his eyes in amusement when he saw the smile plastered on Will's features and shook his head.

"Well you are quite right my friend."

"How long have you two been waiting to marry...?"

The four friends' conversation came to a halt when the creaking of stone came from behind them and turning they could see the mighty doors of Moria swinging open. Will stood and stretched his tired muscles as he waited for his other companions to also rise and follow Gandalf into the mines. Jack tapped Aragorn on the shoulder drawing the ranger's attention back to him.

"Hey you never answered my question mate."

"And what question would that be Jack?"

"How long have you two been engaged?"

Aragorn looked to Legolas who simply stated "A LONG time" as the answer to Jack's question. Jack had wanted an actual number of course, but he just shrugged and followed the others when he realized he wasn't going to get a straight answer from either the Elf or Ranger. Aragorn nodded in thanks to Legolas. The fact that he and Arwen had been engaged now for thirty-nine years would have come as a definite shock to his friends and he didn't feel like trying to explain the whole situation at that point in time.

At the entrance to the mines, Legolas paused for a moment, his features clouding with dread as he peered into the dark beyond the doors. Boromir noticed this and paused next to the elf.

"What is wrong Legolas?" Legolas just cringed more and shook his head as Boromir waited for the elf to answer.

"I hate caves, every experience I've had in one has been bad and I know this one will be no different."

Aragorn also was feeling very uneasy when he entered the cave, probably because he had traveled through the mines once before and the experience was not a good memory, and for some odd reason this place reminded him of the caves he had been in with Jack and Will.

Gimli, on the other hand was delighted to finally have gotten his way and to now be traveling through the mines of his kin. "Soon master Elf; you will experience the fabled hospitality of the dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin, and they call it a mine, a mine!"

Everyone looked around the room which was now better lit from the light coming from Gandalf's staff.

"This is no mine, it's a tomb!" Boromir said grimly as he spotted the skeletal remains of a dwarf lying by the wall to his right. As Gimli leapt towards one of the fallen dwarves crying out in grief and distress Legolas knelt down next to one of the small bodies and plucked an arrow from it. After a few moments of examining the arrow Legolas looked up the Aragorn. His voice was full of alarm and disgust when he spoke.

"Goblins!" Legolas quickly got up and retrieved an arrow from his quiver as Aragorn and Boromir both drew their swords and began scanning the area.

"Perhaps it is time you used your new bow Jack." Aragorn glanced back over his shoulder and spotted Jack standing behind him wide-eyed and unsure. But with a reassuring smile and slight nod from the ranger, Jack retrieved his elvish bow, a beautiful and most unexpected, yet appreciated gift, from Lord Elrond, and quickly strapped his quiver onto his back before he stepped up beside Legolas.

Jack smiled meekly at him as he retrieved one of his own arrows and notched it in the string of his bow. The wood of Jack's bow had been stained black and had designs similar to those of Legolas' bow, but only in sliver instead of gold. And thanks to Aragorn, Jack's initials were engraved into each arrow shaft in the elven fashion of marking the owner of the arrow, and also, much to his amusement, the skull and crossbones of the pirate flag.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan; we should never have come here." All four hobbits began backing away towards the door as Boromir continued, and they remained completely oblivious to the thing stirring in the water behind them. Boromir began to shout. "Now get out of here, get out!"

As the Fellowship began to back away towards the door, something from behind wrapped around Frodo's ankle and drug him down to the ground and back towards the water. The other hobbits all ran to the aid of their friend calling his name in alarm except for Sam who called for Aragorn. But seeing as he was the closest Will ran to the hobbits' aid first and easily slashed through the tentacle with his razor sharp, handmade blade. As the rest of the tentacle shrank back into the water they all backed up closer to the door away from the water, thinking they were now safe, which proved to be the complete opposite of what they were. Suddenly a rain of tentacles came shooting out of the water knocking Will and the other hobbits away from Frodo, who was lifted into the air above the water when another tentacle wrapped around his leg.

Frodo yelled in distress the as others ran out of the caves, and both Aragorn and Boromir dove into the water while Legolas stayed on the shore. Taking aim the elf released his arrow which struck a three pronged tentacle that was wrapping itself over the hobbit's face.

As Frodo again called out for Strider, Will entered the water along with Aragorn and Boromir and began slashing away at the flailing tentacles.

Jack finally got up his courage when he realized that the others weren't having much success. Deciding he had nothing to lose he took aim and fired at one of the tentacles that looked as though it was wrapped around Frodo's arm, slowly lowering him to the set of waiting jaws below. Much to Jack's delight he hit the moving target dead on and the creature lost its grasp on Frodo's arm.A moment later Aragorn located the main tentacle holding the hobbit and sliced through it making the creature lose its hold on Frodo. The Ringbearer fell into the arms of Boromir who was waiting below him.

Once Frodo was safely secured in Boromir's arms Gandalf yelled, "Into the mines!" and the five in the water retreated back to the caves as Gandalf instructed. As they ran the creature began to once again advance on them and Boromir called out to Legolas who again fired an arrow, which buried itself deeply into the Watcher's right eye. Aragorn risked a glance back the creature when it roared in pain and fury and saw that the elf had bought them a few extra precious moments to try and escape the foul beast. They all took advantage of this and ran as quickly as they could back into the dark caves to try and escape the Watcher.

As the Fellowship retreated into the mines the creature slammed the doors shut behind them with so much force that it triggered a cave in and the roof of the passageway behind them collapsed. All eleven members, once they were far enough into the mine, turned to watch in horror as the last light of the moon was blotted out by the huge stone slabs and darkness overtook them.

For a few fear-filled moments the only sounds that could be heard was the ragged breathing and gasps coming from the Fellowship until Gandalf spoke breaking the silence.

"We now have but one choice..." tapping his staff on the ground a few times he rekindled the light that came from it, "...we must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs, in the deep places of the world."

"Well I believe that the thing out there was maybe a bit fouler, mate." Jack said flatly to the wizard as he passed him. Gandalf just shook his head and kept going deciding not to press the issue with the pirate.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: **__**I own nothing. I am making no money off of this blah blah on to the story!**_

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 10**

The Fellowship had once again come to a pause in their travels through the dark and dreary mines as they waited for Gandalf. The wizard was sitting off by himself, trying to figure out which passage they needed to take. They had been traveling for quite a few days now, and most of that journey had been in silence, which made Jack feel like he was going to go out of his mind.

The only thing that had so far intrigued him about this place was when Gandalf had given them a brief history of how Moria gained its wealth through _mithril_. When Jack had laid eyes on the silver veins running through the rock wall to his left, his pirate instincts kicked in and he had spent the rest of his time studying the ground hoping to find a few pieces of the valuable metal, even though Aragorn had informed him that his search was pretty much pointless. The ranger had told him that by now either the dwarves or the orcs would have picked up any fallen pieces and the orcs didn't mine the tunnels like the dwarves did. Smirking at that memory, Jack reached into his pocket and removed quite a large piece of the shining sliver substance that he had seen lying in their path, and began flipping it along his fingers as he had done with the cursed gold coin. Aragorn, who was seated next to Boromir and again puffing on his pipe, caught a tiny flicker of silver from the corner of his eyes and turned to Jack who was still smirking and fiddling with the _mithril_. He smiled at his friend,

"Leave it to Captain Jack Sparrow to find the treasure."

Jack chuckled. "What can I say? I just couldn't resist mate."

This remark gained a few chuckles from almost everyone, but silence again over took the group as they waited for the wizard, who was having a conversation with Frodo, to figure out their path. Getting up, Jack made his way over to where they had dropped their packs, and began rummaging through them until he finally found one of the water skins. Uncorking it, he slowly trudged over and leaned against a small portion of wall by Gandalf and began to sip the cool liquid.

"Where did you get your arrows engraved, and who taught you how to use a bow, Jack?" Jack shifted his gaze over to Legolas, who was carefully examining one of Jack's arrows, a smile coming to his features when he ran his fingers over the pirates' symbol.

"Both were my doing." The response came from Aragorn as he also grabbed one of the arrows, twirling it between his fingers. "We figured that he may have to have a better knowledge of weapons, since it seemed that he was going to be staying here for a time, and he has also been taught some elvish."

"You can speak elvish?" Will asked in surprise.Jack shrugged as he screwed the cap back onto the water skin before he answered Will. "I can understand it, but I can barley speak it. Oh by the way Strider, what you told Barbossa to do before he knocked you off the plank, genius, mate."

"What DID you tell Barbossa to do?" Will asked.Aragorn gave them a crooked smile as he repeated the phrase, "_Auta miqula orqu_."

Will leaned forward and cocked an eyebrow, "And that means..."

Legolas laughed and shook his head. "He told him to go kiss an orc. Honesty Estel, no wonder he knocked you off."

Aragorn began to laugh along with Legolas as Jack pointed out something else a youthful Aragorn had let slip from his lips."Do you remember telling Will...er, what was it again? Oh yeah. _Dolle naa lost_." Jack asked the ranger, stumbling slightly over the pronunciation, while Aragorn just started to laugh harder.

"What? What did he say to me?" Will demanded.

Jack smirked evilly, "He said that your head was empty."

Will glared at Aragorn, whose laughter came to an abrupt halt when he saw Will once again giving him a death glare. The ranger smiled weakly and tried to make a joke. "I haven't seen that face for a while."

"You have a lot of nerve Strider!"

Aragorn held up his hands, palms up, in submission to the blacksmith. "I apologize, but Will you must remember that at the time, I really didn't like you."

Will glowered for a long moment, and then finally shrugged. "It's all right, I hated you at the time and I said worse about you so all is forgiven."

"Why did you two hate each other?" Boromir asked curiously, finally getting in on the conversation that had been entertaining him for the last few minutes. Aragorn made a face at rehashing the story.

"It's a rather long tale..."

Boromir smiled hopefully, "Well you can at least begin it, it's not like we are going anywhere any time soon."

"I heard that Boromir!" The man of the south's eyes went wide and he cringed when Gandalf snapped out a reply to his comment.

chuckled and patted him on the shoulder "Very well, as usual it begins with ANOTHER one of my many mishaps..." While everyone turned their attention to Aragorn as he began to weave his story, Jack turned his attention to what Gandalf was saying to Frodo.

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance!" Frodo stated as he cast a quick glance back towards where the creature Gollum was, watching the Fellowship.

Gandalf looked up at the young hobbit sharply. "Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?"Frodo looked down as the wizard continued, "Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

Frodo sighed and sat down sorrowfully next to Gandalf. "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." Gandalf said with a smile to the hobbit next to him.

Jack frowned a little as he thought about the wizard's words. He began wondering about the forces that had brought Will and him to Middle-Earth, and also the ones that had first united a younger Aragorn and Legolas with the two of them. Were they both here for the will of good or had they been brought by the will of the evil forces at work here in Middle-Earth? Were the four of them meant to fight and die together, to stay by each others' sides through what seemed to be their most trying times? _That's very interesting_. Jack thought.

"Ah! It's that way!"Everyone looked up and at Gandalf in surprise when the old Wizard finally announced he knew the way.

"He's remembered!" Merry said happily as he hopped to his feet.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here..." Gandalf paused and placed a hand on the hobbit's shoulder. "If in time of doubt dear Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

Pippin turned back to face Aragorn and Legolas and asked before they began to descend the stairs. "Can you both continue with the tale as we travel?"The two friends smiled at the hobbit as they began to follow Gandalf.

"I'm afraid that you will have to ask Jack and Will that question, for we are up to their part of the story." Legolas informed Pippin, who took off after Jack. Jack was still deep in thought when he felt a sudden sharp tugging on his sleeve. Looking down he laid eyes on Pippin who was looking up at him hopefully.

"Legolas said to ask you and Will to continue with the story." Jack was about to go along with his little friend's wish when Gandalf advised him to save the story because they needed, to once more, travel in silence. Pippin in response sighed sadly, wanting very much to hear Jack's versions of events.

"Don't worry, mate. Once we get out of here I promise to continue where Aragorn left off." Jack whispered so only Pippin could hear him. Pippin grinned ear to ear, happy with the pirate's promise before he slowed his pace and dropped further back into the line next to Merry.

Before long the Fellowship finally came upon a more open space with broken ornate columns lying fallen across the floor. Gandalf looked around him and then raised his staff saying, "Let me risk a little more light."

At the command the soft light illuminating form the small crystal set at the top of the staff grew brighter, "Behold the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." Gandalf announced to the group who began studying their surroundings in awe, revealing to them a hall of stone lined with tall pillars and arched ceilings as far as the eye can see. The dark halls were edged with silver light from the wizard's staff, shivering in a light not seen for years which graced their stones.

"Now there's an eye opener and no mistake." Sam said in amazement as they again proceeded down the spacious hall, still picking their way around corpses and such scattered along the ground. They shortly came upon a room, which had a ray of sunlight shining through the chamber where, of course, more corpses lay scattered about. Upon seeing the room Gimli gave a sudden cry and leapt away form the group paying no heed to Gandalf, who called out to him, but rather running into the chamber._Now where is he going_? Jack wondered as he and Will followed their companions into the chamber in pursuit of Gimli, who was now kneeling before a tomb openly sobbing as Gandalf began to decipher the writing.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I feared."

Will sighed as Gimli wailed in agony and in response Boromir placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer the dwarf whatever comfort he could."Poor Gimli."

Jack nodded in agreement at Will's statement. Legolas also felt bad for the dwarf, but all his senses were screaming that there was danger close by and he voiced his opinion to Aragorn, "We must move on, we cannot linger!"

Aragorn agreed with the elf but said nothing as he listened to Gandalf begin to read a passage form a book he had recovered that had been in the lap of a dead dwarf by the tomb.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums...drums in the deep..."Gandalf paused and looked up at the other who were scanning their surroundings nervously, especially Will and Jack, before he turned the page and continued, "We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out! They are coming!"

An uncomfortable silence fell until Will suddenly shouted in horror, "Pippin, NO!"

But the warning to the hobbit was too late for just as Will had uttered the words, Pippin's curiosity had beaten him and he reached out and lightly twisted an arrow sticking out of a dwarf corpse seated on the side of the well, causing its skull to slip off and fall into the well with a loud crash, followed closely by the rest of its body, dragging a chain and bucket down with it. Jack cringed as did Pippin, with every thud and crash caused by the fallen dwarf body until silence finally again over took them. After a moment had passed Legolas, Will and Aragorn all visibly relaxed and Boromir let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding, but the feeling of uneasiness still hadn't left Jack as Gandalf slammed the book he was holding shut.

"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf yelled as he yanked his hat and staff out of the hobbit's hands and turned away from him. Pippin stood awkwardly with his gaze to the floor until he picked up on a light drumming noise. Looking up he saw Gandalf turn back toward him, worry etched in his features as the drumming became louder, almost sounding like a steady heart beat. Will shifted around nervously as his ears picked up on light screeches now accompanying the drum beats. _Oh God, this can't be good..._

"Orcs!" Legolas said in alarm, and as if to verify it Frodo pulled out Sting, which was glowing a pale blue. Jack felt a twinge of fear run through his body as Boromir ran by him to go risk a look outside of the doors, which almost earned him two black feathered Orc arrows in the face.

"Get back! You stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn ordered to the four hobbits as he threw down his torch and made his way over to Boromir and helped him work he doors shut. Jack's eyes widened when he heard Boromir mummer that they had a cave troll.

"They have a what?!"Aragorn spun around to see Jack, looking like he was ready to drop dead on the spot, and Will looking much the same. It had completely slipped the ranger's mind that Jack had been extremely uncomfortable, to say the least, when they had paused with Frodo by Bilbo's stone trolls. It was then that he also realized that this was both Jack's and Will's first experience with Orcs as well.

"Jack, Will, just picture fighting Barbossa's crew again!" Aragorn yelled over his shoulder as he impaled the door with one last axe.

"This is just a little different Strider!" Will yelled back, fear evident in his young voice.

"Yes this is different. This time when you kill them they stay dead." Legolas responded as he took his place next to Aragorn, bow and arrow in hand.

Jack took in a deep breath before moving forward to stand next to Legolas, telling himself, _Picture your mutinous crew, picture your mutinous crew_. Making up his mind that that was who he was fighting Jack reached over his shoulder, retrieving one of his arrows and notching it in his bowstring, and took aim along with Legolas and Aragorn, who were poised and ready to fire. Will, on the other hand, stayed where he was, frozen in fear as the orcs began pounding on the doors.

"Oh my God, Oh my God..."

Boromir heard him murmuring and looked over his shoulder to see Will, eyes wide with fear and gripping his sword so tightly that he was surprised the handle didn't snap under the pressure.

"This can't be your first battle?"

Will suddenly registered that Boromir had slipped back next to him. "No, but it is with Orcs."

Boromir nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Just try and stay close to me, my friend."

Will managed to return the smile, and intended to do just as Boromir told him. Jack by this point had almost completely convinced himself that he was once again fighting Barbossa's crew, and stood ready and almost eager to engage in the battle that was about to occur as the orcs began to use their weapons to bust through the door. The three archers waited until a large enough hole formed in the door before Legolas fired first, the end result being an inhuman shriek. As the elf retrieved another arrow Aragorn released his, followed almost immediately by Jack's own arrow. Jack was about to reach for another when the doors finally gave away and the armored beasts flooded into the room.Jack suddenly froze and felt the eagerness for battle leave him as he watched the Orcs charge at him and his companions.

"I'm really starting to not like this place." Jack said aloud as he put away his bow and unsheathed his sword, preferring to start off with something he knew he really couldn't mess-up with. As his first attacker came charging at him the pirate easily side-stepped and as the orc began to pass him by he ran it through wit his sword, piercing its heart. Jack pulled his blade free and studied the black blooded tip before looking down at the fell beast as black blood began to ooze out of the neat puncture wound. Jack couldn't help but smile when the orc didn't rise. _This may be a little bit easier than my mutinous crew._

With a yell, Aragorn beheaded an orc, and as the body fell he gained a clear view of Jack. He watched with amusement as Jack suddenly gained back his usual cocky smirk and smart-ass attitude and lashed out, slitting the throat of a passing orc before moving on to face another opponent. Aragorn, satisfied that Jack would be fine now, turned to his left and fought yet another opponent for a few seconds before he stabbed the orc through the stomach. He finally caught sight of Will.

The blacksmith fought extremely well, with the same skill he had while fighting Barbossa's crew, but the uncertainty still easily showed through. But that began to fade as he beheaded his attacker, and realized that this was one of the reasons he had spent three hours, each day practicing sword play.

Aragorn was still a little worried until he realized that Boromir still lingered near Will and was making sure to stay by his young friend. _With Boromir there he will be fine_. Aragorn didn't even bother to checkup on Legolas, Gimli or Gandalf; he knew the wizard and elf could hold their own just fine, and Gimli at this point had enough rage built up to take on twice as many orcs that they were facing now, so needless to say Aragorn wasn't concerned.

The ranger spun around deflecting another blow from an orc sword while trying to find where they hobbits were when he heard a great roar. Looking up, back towards the doorway, he saw the cave troll finally being lead in by a chain held by orcs, breaking through the door frame.

Legolas fired an arrow at the troll, hitting it in the shoulder, which gained a roar of pain for the beast as it clapped a hand over the wound. Aragorn risked a quick glance back at Jack who looked like he was about to go into a panic attack, until Legolas lead the pirate with him, further back into the room.

He was drawn away from his two friends by a small yell. Turning to once again face the cave troll, he saw Sam dive in-between its legs and crawl along the floor to try and escape it. But to Aragorn's horror the troll spotted the fleeing hobbit and again began to pursue him.

"Boromir, Will!"Sam crawled right into a corner and turned around to still come face to face with the troll, with its foot raised ready to stomp him. The hobbit cringed when suddenly the troll fell back. And he could hear Aragorn yelling to pull.Will tightened his grip on the chain and along with Aragorn, who was in front of him, and Boromir who was behind him, again yanked on the chain attached to the cave troll's collar, pulling it further away from Sam, giving the hobbit a chance to retreat. Suddenly the cave troll whipped its arm and hammer around and the three holding the chain ducked down to avoid the blow. Will and Aragorn had by this point had already released the chain but Boromir on the other hand hadn't and the troll twisted its arm and chain, whipping the unsuspecting man across the room and slamming him into the opposite wall, knocking him out for a brief moment.

When Boromir finally came to, he saw an orc standing over him ready to strike. With no warning, a blade, thrown from across the room, impaled itself into the orc's neck. Boromir sat up and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the daze that still clung to his mind as he looked up and spied Aragorn who nodded slightly to him.

"It's nice to see that you copied my 'trick'." Will stated flatly to Aragorn who smiled evilly.

"Yes, well, mine includes a heaver blade, which means it calls for more talent."Will rolled his eyes and grumbled something about Aragorn not starting the 'heaver blades are better than the thinner ones' argument again as he moved off to resume fighting. Meanwhile Jack fought with Legolas up on a ledge, switching between his bow and sword, glad to be away from the cave troll, which once again cried out in pain as Legolas shot it with two arrows at the same time, chasing him away from Gimli, who had fallen.

"I thought you hated him?" Jack yelled the question to the elf teasingly. Reaching over his back Legolas retrieved one of his long knives and stabbed an orc in the face. "I don't hate him, I just love mocking him, like you love to do to Will with the whole pirate situation." the elf yelled back.

Jack would have laughed but by now the troll had spotted the two of them fighting on the wall and was now using its chain to whip at them. The first blow had been aimed at Legolas, and then to his horror the second was aimed at Jack, who fell back with a yell. "I hate you, you bloody bastard!"

Legolas smirked with amusement at Jack as he dodged the chain again, which this time wrapped itself around a pillar. Legolas stamped on it, making sure it was safely wrapped before he darted up it.Jack's eyes went wide at the agility of the elf as he watched Legolas position himself, a leg on each of the troll's shoulders, and fire an arrow into the troll's head. The troll screamed and began to flail about, causing Legolas to have to jump down, and land gracefully on his feet. Jack took the troll's moment of distraction to retreat from the ledge and head back down to join his companions as they continued to fight the slowly retreating sea of Orcs, using any means to fight. Jack was so engrossed in the battle that he didn't register that something had gone wrong until he heard Sam calling out Frodo's name in panic.

Looking up the pirate could see in-between the pillars and caught sight of Frodo, pinned to the wall, gasping in pain from the spear that the cave troll had stabbed him with. By now the others began to notice the scene that was unfolding, and Merry and Pippin were so enraged by this that they dove onto the cave troll's back, stabbing him with their short swords. Gandalf and the others stood stunned for a moment longer, Sam being the first to begin the fight again, trying to reach his injured friend's side, followed shortly by the rest of the Fellowship's frenzied efforts to reach the Ring-bearer. Jack silently cursed himself. Only now did he realize that he did hear the Ringbearer's panicked calls, but he had been so engrossed in fighting that he had pushed them aside, and except for Aragorn, it seemed like everyone else had too. Much to their relief the Orcs were now dealt with, leaving only the flailing, enraged cave troll to deal with. Reaching over its head the troll finally grabbed Merry, and began swinging him around eventually throwing him to the ground.

Gandalf and Gimli charged forward take turns stabbing at the troll and dodging his swinging arms, Gimli once again getting knocked to the ground. Will and Boromir stood away from the other questioning Merry, making sure the Hobbit was alright after his fall while Jack made his way over to Aragorn, who was laying at the base of a pillar, out cold.

"Aragorn..." Jack said the ranger's name frantically as he shook him, not getting a response. _Oh Christ!_"Estel, please get up!!"

Aragorn's eyes jerked open and he sat up quickly "Jack... what happened? Where is Frodo?" Jack sighed sadly and cast a glance in the direction Frodo was in. Aragorn followed the glance and he spotted Frodo lying face down, apparently dead. Aragorn tried to get to his feet, but he was still too shaken from being thrown by the troll to stand, so he crawled over to Frodo's body. Aragorn shook his head and paused a second before he flipped Frodo onto his back, uttering,

"Oh no..." As Aragorn turned him over, Frodo gasped for breath.

Sam, wide-eyed, ran forward and knelt next to his master. "He's alive!" He said looking up at Gandalf, who sighed in relief. Frodo sat up all the way, his hand over his chest as Aragorn looked at Frodo.

"I'm all right, I'm not hurt."

"You should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar." Aragorn exclaimed in amazement. Gandalf took a step forward leaning on his staff.

"I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye..."Frodo slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the glimmering Mithril shirt, a gift from Bilbo, to the rest of the Fellowship.

"Mithril! You are full of surprises, Master Baggins!" Gimli said, amused. Jack froze, his ears again picking up on the screeches of the orcs.

"Gandalf..."

The wizard paused and listened, also recognizing the sounds of the orcs. "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!"


	11. Chapter 11

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 11**

The Fellowship needed no more prompting and quickly followed the wizard out of the rear exit of the chamber and back into the spacious hallway, pursued closely by Orcs. Every member picked up their pace as more orcs began to spring out of the cracks in the floor and flood in from the ceiling, crawling down the great pillars like spiders, coming from every direction to begin surrounding the Fellowship.

Will slammed into Jack as they came skidding to a halt, completely surrounded with no escape through the sea of armored orcs, who were waving their weapons and snarling.

Jack stood back to back with Legolas, his bow also drawn. Jack looked around frantically and was seriously considering screaming out parley, figuring he had nothing to lose by attempting it. Just then, when he was about to give it a try, a fiery light appeared at the end of the hall followed by a thunderous rumble. The Orcs looked around, panicked, until another rumble came. Within a second they retreated, leaving the Fellowship standing in the middle of the hall, alone, staring in the direction the roar had come from.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked, leaning in closer to Gandalf.

Gandalf didn't reply right away. Instead he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate.

Jack groaned at the thought of having to face yet another type of monster, and wondered how any race could survive in a world like this one.

"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world." Gandalf said warily as the thing growled, still hidden around a corner of the vast hall, throwing fiery light on the pillars. Will looked at Legolas who was standing next to him. The elf's eyes showed only fear. Will shifted on his feet nervously. Legolas clearly knew what the beast was, and Will knew it must have been something of great evil to so deeply disturb the elf, who had always remained calm and collected in even the worst situations they had been in.

"This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!"

At Gandalf's command the Fellowship again began to run though the hall, eventually passing through a doorway in the wall. "Quickly!" Gandalf urged to the last hobbit as he took one last look back before following the others. The door way led through yet another passage and Boromir was the first one through, continuing to follow the staircase. He came to a halt where a segment of the stairs had broken off, his arms failing about as he tried to regain his balance and not fall into the dark abyss below. Legolas was the second one through and ran up behind Boromir, pulling him back away from the edge where the man was tittering. The hobbits were the next ones to come, followed by Jack and Will, all coming up just short of falling in themselves.

Jack look back up the steps where he could see Gandalf finally coming through looking weary and leaning against a wall for support.

"I don't think this is the time for taking rests!" Jack yelled up to him as the ground shook and the roar became louder and closer.

The wizard ignored Jack and turned to Aragorn, who had laid a concerned hand on the wizard's shoulder. "Lead them on Aragorn, the bridge is near!"

Aragorn looked off in the direction Gandalf was and spotted a long bridge spanning across the gap between the hall and a cliff face. Aragorn looked back at the wizard and took a step toward him only to be roughly pushed away by the old wizard. "Do as I say!" Gandalf yelled at the ranger whose face was a mixture of hurt and confusion. "Swords are no more use here!"

As the Balrog roared again the Fellowship began to descend another twisting flight of stairs until once again they reached another gap, only this distance was one they could easily jump.

Legolas was the first to leap forward, of course, landing surefooted on the other side. "Gandalf!" Legolas beckoned the wizard to jump as the Balrog again shook the foundation causing it to begin to break and crumble. Gandalf finally made the jump and Legolas caught him making sure he was steady before he called for Jack to follow.

Jack turned to Aragorn. "Let me bring Frodo with me, mate, get him safe and sound, savvy?" Aragorn nodded in agreement and ushered Frodo toward Jack.

"Hold on tight mate." Jack said as he picked up Frodo, who in response wrapped his small arms around the pirate's neck. Having jumped and swung over greater distances, Jack didn't even think twice as he leapt over the gap, and landed on the other side. Legolas and Gandalf both helped Jack catch his balance as a rain of arrows began to descend on them.

Jack placed Frodo down and then pushed the hobbit behind him, keeping him out of danger as he, Aragorn and Legolas all responded to the assault by firing their own arrows, each hitting their target sending them tumbling down into the darkness below.

"Help the others, I'll handle the orcs, mate." Jack called to Legolas.

Legolas nodded and left Jack to handle their assassins as he helped steady Boromir, who had just jumped across the gap with Merry and Pippin.

Aragorn placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "Toss Sam and Gimli to Boromir!" Will motioned Sam toward him and when the hobbit was ready, tossed him across the gap, which had grown larger since more of the steps had crumbled away.

Once Boromir had caught Sam, Will turned to Gimli who held up a hand to him. "Nobody tosses a dwarf!" Before Will could even argue, Gimli made the jump, landing on the very edge. He would have fallen to his death if it weren't for Legolas who quickly reached out and grabbed the Dwarf by the beard.

"Not the beard!" Gimli hollered as Legolas pulled him to safety.

Suddenly, Will and Aragorn both felt the steps beneath their feet begin to crumble away. Aragorn pushed Will back up the steps and began to move up after him when the ground beneath his feet completely fell away. Aragorn caught the edge of the stone and began to struggle to pull himself up, but of course having no footing and trying to hold into his bow made it all the more difficult, until he felt a pair of hands wrap around his forearm. Glancing up he saw Will, who again pulled on his arm, pulling Aragorn up far enough that the ranger could finally get his feet under him. Standing up the two faced their companions who were on the other side of the now larger gap.

"What do we do now?" Will asked Aragorn as he continued to stare across the gap which was now obviously much too large for them to jump, and from what Will knew, there was no other way to the bridge. Aragorn shook his head, he had no solutions.

Suddenly the Balrog made itself known again; it's fiery light drifting in from the other hall. The ground shook again as the Balrog got closer, causing huge stone slabs to fall from the ceiling, one of which smashed through the stair case behind Will and Aragorn, making another gap behind the two men.

Jack, standing behind Gandalf, watched in horror as his two friends swayed back and forth with the stair case, trying to move with it so it didn't tip over. When the stair once again stopped swaying Jack heard Aragorn telling Will to lean forward and as the two did so the stairs began to fall towards the Fellowship. Legolas and Boromir both stepped forward, arms outstretched, waiting to catch one of their two companions.

"Come on!" Legolas called as the stairs came closer finally slamming into the one he was on. Both Aragorn and Will leapt to safety, Will being caught by Boromir and Aragorn landing in Legolas awaiting arms. Not even looking back as the stairs crumbled into the abyss, the Fellowship once again resumed their path to the bridge which was now very close.

"Over the Bridge! Fly!" Gandalf ordered as they rounded a pillar, a great wall of flame behind them. Jack paused a moment and looked over his shoulder to see a great form of black shadow leap through the flames, its eyes of white fire, great ash-black horns curling around a bull-like head.

"What in God's name is that?!" Jack heard Will ask to no one in particular.

"That is a Balrog." Legolas replied to the blacksmith's question.

Jack turned back around and faced Will. The two looked at each other for a brief moment before taking off at full speed towards the bridge. "I hate this world!" Jack yelled as he ran past Aragorn, he and Will being the first two to reach and cross the bridge with the others trailing not far behind.

Everyone turned back towards the bridge trying to see where the Balrog was and realized that Gandalf was on the bridge, yelling at the demon. "You cannot pass!"

Frodo called the wizard's name as the Balrog stood straight up, great shadow-like wings of ash whirling around the demon, which spread its arms and burst into cracking, bursting, thundering flame.

Gandalf seemed unfazed ad he continued to stand beneath it, staff and sword raised. "I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor..." As he said this the light from his staff began to envelope him and grow brighter. "The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!"

The Balrog raised its arm, a sword made of fire forming in its hand which it brought down on Gandalf who parried the blow with his own sword, shattering the Balrog's blade.

Aragorn began to run forward, but was stopped when someone grabbed him by the arm. He quickly turned to see Jack, who had made his way down to where Aragorn was, again holding him back as he had done when Legolas was discovered by Barbossa's crew. Aragorn didn't fight the pirate as he turned back to the scene unfolding between Gandalf and the Balrog.

"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf said angrily through clenched teeth.

A thread of flame issued from the Balrog's maw, and it stepped forward onto the bridge. The Balrog brandished a flaming whip, and lashed it about menacingly over the wizard's head. Gandalf summoned the last of his energy, and raised his sword and staff together into the air. "YOU...SHALL NOT...PASS!!" With that Gandalf drove his staff into the bridge, causing a bright flash of blue light to appear.

Flaring its nostrils in anger, the Balrog stepped forward onto the bridge which collapsed from under it as it moved towards Gandalf, breaking before the wizard's staff.

Will watched with a small smile coming to his lips as the Balrog fell into the abyss with a roar and Gandalf slowly turned to rejoin the waiting Fellowship. But he quickly lost his smile when all of a sudden the Balrog's whip came back up and wrapped itself around Gandalf's ankle, dragging him down and over the edge. Will tried to grab Frodo as he ran by, but the hobbit avoided him. Boromir managed to grab the Ringbearer, and held the struggling hobbit securely to his chest.

Frodo called out Gandalf's name as the wizard struggled to get a better grip. He finally stopped and looked up into the hobbit's eyes, uttering his last words. "Fly, you fools! With that Gandalf lost his grip and fell back into the chasm with his arms outspread.

Jack's hand fell from Aragorn's arm in shock as Frodo screamed in anguish and Boromir picked up the hobbit, heading back up the stairs. Jack looked back when he heard he man calling out his and Aragorn's names, and he again grabbed the stunned ranger by the arm and began to pull him along as Orc arrows began to whistle past them.

Aragorn pulled away from Jack as he dodged an arrow and took one last look back at the bridge before he followed the others up yet another fight of stairs, this one leading them out of the darkness of the mines and into the bright day light. Jack followed Aragorn and stopped a few feet from the ranger as he turned to look at his companions. Sam sat by himself, his head bowed and weeping. A few feet away Merry sat with Pippin who was crying hysterically as his friend tried to comfort him.

Jack locked eyes with Legolas who looked shocked and also confused, like he didn't understand what had just happened. When Legolas broke the contact Jack spotted Will. He sat near Boromir, who was trying hold Gimli back, with his head bowed and his long brown hair, which he usually kept pulled back, falling in his face. Jack drew in a deep breath and began to make his way over to him and sitting down wrapped his arm around the blacksmith's shoulder, offering him what comfort he could.

Jack sighed as he looked around again. He had never truly felt this great of a loss before and he had to admit the feeling confused him. He had lost crew members before, friends before, but it had never affected him like this. Aragorn had been right when he had been teasing Jack; he was a pirate, he was supposed to be heartless. Jack rested his head in his free hand. This was what Barbossa had meant; this was the reason for why Jack had originally lost the Pearl. Even though he tried not to show it much, he did actually care about other people.

Aragorn wiped his sword clean and faced the others, hiding whatever emotions he was feeling for the time being. All he knew at the moment was that he was the one who had to try and get his hurting friends to safety. "Legolas, get them up."

Legolas, still dazed and confused, turned and made his way over to Merry and Pippin.

Boromir shook his head as he glanced at Will, whose face remained hidden by his hair, and Jack, who Boromir was surprised to see, had tear tracks running down his face. "Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Boromir yelled to Aragorn pleadingly, trying to give them all more time to try and come to terms with their grief before moving on.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs! We must reach he woods of Lothlórien." Aragorn stated as he re-sheathed his sword. "Come, Boromir, Legolas get them up!"

Jack stood and hastily wiped his face with the back of his hand before he moved off to help Legolas get Merry and Pippin to their feet. Will also rose, pushing his hair back from his face as Gimli came trudging by, grumbling about how he'd like to go back in and fight the orcs.

"Are you alright?"

Will was about to say everything was fine, like he normally would have, but he knew Boromir would pick up on such an obvious lie, especially since the man wasn't blind and he could see Will's current state. "No, my friend. I couldn't be further from it." Will looked at the other man who was obviously hurting just as much as he was, but doing a much better job of keeping his emotions in check.

Boromir didn't say anything, but placed his hand on Will's back and moved him forward with him after the others.

Will hurried up to join Aragorn. The ranger glanced over at the blacksmith with a small smile. "Everything will be alright once we get to Lothlórien, my friend."

"I hope you're right." Will replied as they began to make their way down the rocky mountainside heading off to the distant elven realm of Lothlórien.

Aragorn jogged ahead of the others. The group had been silent since they left the mountain side, but they had made excellent time. Crossing a small stream, the Ranger ran up onto a small pile of rocks, smiling as he looked off into the distance. Framed against a deep blue sky, he looked past the mountains to the green-gold woods beyond. _Lothlórien_. Turning around he yelled to his companions, "Hurry, our destination is close now!" With that Aragorn hopped down from the rocks and broke into a sprint.

Jack sighed as they slowed down to a walk as the Fellowship entered the woods. Once Aragorn had taken off, the others followed, at first running as fast as they could to try and keep up with the Ranger, and then just to finally reach safety. Jack looked around in awe. Rivendell had been a place of extreme beauty, and so far Lothlórien, with it golden-green forest, was promising to be just as beautiful.

Jack stopped checking out his surroundings as he listened to Gimli tell the hobbits about the Elf-witch that lived in the wood, and how anyone who laid eyes upon her fell under her spell and according to the dwarf, were never seen again. Jack just shook his head and dismissed the dwarf's account. His mind kept drifting back to Gandalf, and something important dawned on the pirate. He realized that he and Will had just lost their only chance of returning home to the Caribbean. _This just gets better and better_.

Jack was drawn from his thoughts by nearly walking into an arrow. Looking around the entire fellowship was surrounded by fair-haired elves, all with their bows aimed, ready to fire their arrows. The only member of the Fellowship who had a chance to retrieve one of their own weapons was Legolas, who had an arrow notched and ready to fire.

Aragorn raised his hands up in submission as another elf stepped forward, obviously the leader.

"The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." The elf said a little smugly.

As night came the Fellowship was led up into platforms high in the trees, where the fair-haired elf began to greet them.

"_Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion_. Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil." The elf said, placing his hand over his heart and then extending his hand.

Legolas repeated the motion. "_Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien_. Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien."

Haldir glanced over Boromir, his gaze finally resting on Aragorn "_A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen_. Oh, Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us."

"Haldir." Aragorn said the elf's name and placed his hand over his heart. He then noticed the Elf looking behind him to Jack and Will. "Haldir these are two of my fellow Rangers."

Haldir studied the two "rangers" closer. The first one was identical to Legolas, except that his hair was shoulder-length and a dark brown, and he looked as though he was no older than twenty. _Strange_, the elf thought to himself. The other ranger Haldir found to be just as strange. Jack had by now grown his beard back, and once again had woven the beads into it. He also still insisted on lining his eyes in black, which needless to say, no one did here in Middle-Earth.

"_Man eneth lín? _What is your name?" Haldir directed the question to Jack.

"_Elendur i eneth nín_ My name is Elendur..." Jack paused and placed a hand on Will's shoulder "...and this is Ciryon." Jack finished, switching to the common tongue and saving Will from having to introduce himself, seeing as he didn't know elvish.

The elf frowned for a moment and glanced at Aragorn. The ranger could tell, from past experiences with Haldir, that the March-Warden was suspicious, and he realized what was causing it too. He had chosen names for Jack and Will based on his own ancestry, and Haldir was old enough, and well-versed enough in history to have recognized the names as those of Isildur's children.

Aragorn shot a pleading look at the elf, which the others missed, and as Haldir locked eyes with the ranger, he saw that Aragorn was silently promising an explanation for these two strangers later.

Haldir nodded, obviously satisfied with the answer and placed his hand over his heart. "_Mae govannen Elendur ah Ciryon in Dúnedain._ Welcome, Elendur and Ciryon of the Dúnedain."

Jack and Will repeated the motion, which gained a smile from the tall elf. Jack glanced at Aragorn and caught his friend smiling at him. Jack realized then that he had actually spoken perfect elvish which made his smile broaden.

Gimli, on the other hand, became thoroughly annoyed. "So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!"

Haldir's smile faded as he looked down at the dwarf. "We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days." he replied, obviously annoyed as well.

"And you know what this Dwarf says to that? _Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul_! I spit upon your grave!" Gimli shot back in his own tongue, making the rest of the Fellowship look at him curiously, as none of them, save Aragorn, understood the dwarven tongue.

Aragorn closed his eyes before grabbing the dwarf by the tunic. "THAT was not so courteous."

Haldir cast one last dirty look at Gimli before he looked at Frodo. "You bring great evil with you." Will eyed the elf, noting that he almost seemed frightened of what Frodo carried.

"You can go no further." Haldir said to Aragorn before turning and walking away.

Twenty minutes had passed now and Aragorn still argued with Haldir, while Legolas and Jack stood behind the arguing man and elf, listening intently.

"_Boe ammen veriad lîn. Andelu i ven_! We need your protection. The road is fell!" Aragorn said fiercely, trying to make Haldir see reason.

Will sat with Boromir; also listening to the arguments, wishing he understood what was being said as Haldir replied to Aragorn. The elf was speaking too softly for Will to make out what he was saying, but he could hear Aragorn clearly, even if he couldn't understand the elvish.

"_Merin le telim_. I wish we may come with you." Aragorn replied to whatever Haldir had said.

Jack shook his head. "This is getting us nowhere!" he said quietly so that only Legolas could hear.

Legolas sighed "Give him more time _mellon nin_."

Aragorn could feel himself becoming more and more irritated. "_Henio, aníron boe ammen i dulu lîn_! Please, understand, we need your support!"

Will sighed. He could tell by the desperation in Aragorn's voice that things weren't going well.

Boromir had tuned out the argument long ago. He figured that there was no point in listening to it since he couldn't understand it. Instead he had been watching Frodo, who was glancing between each of the Fellowship members, and looking downcast. "Gandalf's death was not in vain...nor would he have you give up hope." Boromir continued when he had gained Frodo's attention. "You carry a heavy burden, Frodo ...don't carry the weight of the dead."

Frodo began to ponder the man's words, but looked up suddenly. Haldir stepped up to them, looking and sounding less than happy. "You will follow me."


	12. Chapter 12

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 12**

Will sighed as their escorts, a group of Lothlorien elves led by Haldir, began to lead them along a ridge through the golden woods. He didn't know about anyone else, but he was definitely growing tired of walking. They had been following Haldir since he and Aragorn had settled their argument, with only a few breaks, none of which were nearly long enough in Will's opinion. They finally paused again, and Will thought that it was another brief breather, but instead, Haldir began to speak.

"Caras Galadhon…the heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn, and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."

Will peered around Jack and caught a glimpse of a great glade of trees, rising above the world, bursting with leaves of green and gold, with rays of light drifting down through the trees. As soon as he laid eyes on it, he immediately felt comforted, for he knew now that they were safe, at least for the time being.

The Fellowship finally arrived at Caras Galadhon as the last rays of sunlight pierced the tree branches. Haldir didn't stop however; instead he led them towards a large staircase that wound its way up around a monstrously tall tree. As they climbed, the sunlight slowly faded and was replaced by the silvery-blue moonlight.

Jack smiled ever so slightly at Will, who was as taken with this place as he had been with Rivendell. Jack looked around at the glimmering lights and the same feeling of calmness came over him as it had with Will, although Jack still favored Rivendell to this place, as beautiful as it was.

Finally, they reached the top of the stairs, and emerged onto a large platform built right into the branches of the tree. In front of them was a beautiful palace. They slowly filed along the platform and stopped in front of an archway. Haldir stepped to one side of the archway and looked up the set of stairs that was beyond the arch.

A bright white light began to descend the staircase, and from it stepped two elves, a Lord and a Lady. The Lord was tall, like most of the elves, with long, straight silver hair. He held the arm of the Lady, a truly lovely maiden with long golden hair and sparkling blue eyes. Celeborn wore all silver, while Galadriel was garbed all in white, with a golden circlet on her forehead. Both of them emitted the soft glow from their skin.

Legolas bowed his head with the deepest respect, and Aragorn raised his hand to his forehead, before bowing his own head in reverence to the two. The rest of the Fellowship stood in awe as they watched the Lord and Lady.

Celeborn and Galadriel came to a halt near the bottom of the staircase. Galadriel looked the group over carefully, her gaze lingering for a long moment on Jack and Will before it shifted to Frodo.

At length, Celeborn spoke, his voice deep and rich. "The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." He paused for a moment and looked the group over carefully. "Ten that are here, yet eleven there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar."

Aragorn looked up when he felt an intense gaze rest on him, and he locked gazes with Galadriel, who read the answer in his eyes. "_Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land._" Her soft voice echoed in all their minds, as she addressed them telepathically.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she finished her thoughts out loud, her voice tinged with shock and sorrow. "He has fallen into Shadow."

Aragorn nodded slightly as an equally shocked Celeborn turned to face his wife at her revelation.

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame: a Balrog of Morgoth." Legolas informed the royal couple. "For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Gimli bowed his head sadly, as the memories came back to him, along with a slight guilt for having insisted upon taking that road. Jack, who was standing next to the dwarf, noticed his discomfort and lightly patted him on the back to offer him comfort as Galadriel spoke again. "Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose." She looked at Gimli for a long moment. "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart, Gimli, son of Gloin."

Gimli looked up at her finally, and she continued, a small smile gracing her features. "For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief." Galadriel finished, turning her gaze to Boromir, who could only hold it for a moment before turning away, weeping.

Will frowned, wondering what had caused his friend to react this way. Galadriel's voice echoed in his mind again. "_Welcome to Lothlorien, William Turner and Captain Jack Sparrow of the Caribbean_."

Both of them jumped slightly at the words. They looked at each other from opposite ends of the platform, very disturbed. No one had told them that this elf queen had such power and the fact that she knew their true identities and where they were from was, needless to say, very unnerving, especially since they were instructed to be known to everyone they met as rangers. As Will looked back at Galadriel, she smiled ever so slightly.

"_Do not fear me, you have nothing to fear so long as you are here_." she told them both.

Celeborn spoke again. "What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

Aragorn frowned slightly, trying to think of a response, but before he could answer, Galadriel addressed her husband and them again. "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all."

Boromir finally looked back at her, still unsure. Sam, on the other hand, continued to gaze at the Lady as she turned her eyes on him. She smiled again slightly at the hobbit as she continued, "Yet hope remains, while the Company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace." Her gaze turned to Frodo for the first time since their arrival and she watched him as Celeborn turned to Haldir.

"Haldir, please lead them to a comfortable place to rest." Celeborn instructed. Haldir bowed his head and again took up the task of leading the Fellowship back down the staircase.

"Elendur, Ciryon, please stay a few moments." Galadriel called to the retreating Jack and Will.

Both of the out-worlders paused in mid-step and looked back over their shoulders at Galadriel, who was now standing on the platform waiting for them. Celeborn had already retreated back into the palace. Will and Jack turned and slowly made their way back towards Galadriel. She was smiling kindly at them, seeing their reluctance. "I have told you, you have nothing to fear. And while you are here, you may answer to your true names."

With that, she began to descend the staircase, beckoning Jack and Will to follow her. They both moved silently behind her as she led them to the ground and then turned in the opposite direction that the Fellowship was heading.

"Where are you taking us _hiril nin_ my lady?" Jack asked as she led them into a small garden and began to descend a small flight of stone stairs. She looked over her shoulder at him, but did not respond as she walked over to a small fountain. She carefully filled a silver pitcher with water before turning to them.

"Will you both look into the mirror?" She gestured towards an ornate stone stand with a shallow silver basin resting on top of it in a niche. Will and Jack again looked at each other.

"What will this mirror allow us to see?" Will asked uncertainty evident in his tone.

Galadriel walked to the basin and began pouring the water into it. "Even the wisest cannot tell, for the mirror shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass."

Both Jack and Will slowly approached the mirror. Jack glanced quickly at Galadriel before leaning over the basin. Will hesitated, uncertain about this.

"_Will, look into the mirror_."

Will blinked as Galadriel's voice again entered his head, but he did as she bid him to and looked into the basin. At first there was nothing to be seen, except for their own reflections. The suddenly the water rippled and swirled, until it finally settled, an image appearing.

The image was of a great battle, in a wasteland filled with fire. The combatants were orcs and others that couldn't be seen clearly under the helmets that they wore. Suddenly the water rippled again and the image changed to one of Elrond yelling for someone to cast something into the raging fires below them. The image of the other man came into focus, fiddling with what they recognized as the Ring before refusing to do as Elrond instructed.

The water swirled again, the man's face slowly transforming into that of a younger Aragorn, his face lit by a fire. He was looking at someone and snapped at them angrily. "I said I was the heir, I never said I was King!"

Jack fidgeted as he recognized this picture as the night when he and Elizabeth had found out who Aragorn truly was, when they had been marooned by Barbossa. The water rippled again, this time showing a constant stream of images from the recent past, from when both of them had arrived in Middle-Earth, up until the present, and then more images appeared that neither of them recognized. These images were the most disturbing, for they were images of the rest of the Fellowship engaged in gruesome battles that had not yet taken place.

Will finally couldn't take any more of the gory images and pulled away, while his pirate friend continued to stare until the images changed into that of a flaming, lidless eye. With a small cry, Jack ripped himself away, breathing heavily.

There was silence for a long moment as both men caught their breaths. Galadriel simply watched them calmly. Finally, Jack looked up at her. "These are the things that are to happen?" His voice was still shaky from the experience.

"Some may happen, others may even be prevented. If that is to be so, however, the events will depend on a choice that you both must make." The elf queen's face showed little emotion as the two men studied her.

"And what exactly is this choice?" Will asked her skeptically.

"I have a way to send the two of you home that _may_ work." she stressed the word may, trying to convey that this possibility might not work.

Will, who had been sitting on the grass where he had fallen after tearing himself away from the mirror, hopped to his feet excitedly. "You know a way to get us home?"

Jack blinked in shock when Galadriel nodded in answer to Will's question. However, he frowned when Will asked her how soon this could be done. He looked at the blacksmith incredulously. "After all that you have been through, all the things that you have seen, you can just go home and completely wash your hands of this whole thing?" The pirate's voice was disappointed and a little betrayed.

"I want to go home Jack, and you can't deny that you want to too. I have Elizabeth to return home to, and after ten years you finally got the Pearl back, so don't try and deny the longing in you to return home." Will replied.

Jack lowered his eyes. Of course he wanted to go home; he would be a fool not to want to go home. "I will not deny that I want to go home, Will. But I don't think I can just up and leave this all behind. Can you, mate?"

"_The decision is not one that has to be made tonight. But I will need your answers before you leave Lothlorien_." Galadriel informed the two mentally, before their conversation could go any further. They looked at her and nodded. "You may both go and rejoin your companions, and remember, you may go by our true names in this place."

Will bowed his head to Galadriel and took leave of her, while Jack stayed behind. "There is something that I must ask you about something I saw in the mirror after Will pulled away…"

Legolas walked slowly, carrying a silver pitcher, listening to the song being sung high up in the trees as Aragorn sat next to a sleeping Gimli, sharpening his sword. Legolas had long ago shed his green outer tunic and now wore a thin silver colored one, embroidered in silver leaf-work, making him look every bit the prince that he truly was. Legolas came to pause by the hobbits while they set up their beds on the ground and again listened to the song.

He smiled sadly. "A lament to Gandalf." he announced to the others. Aragorn paused in the cleaning of his sword and listened to the words of the haunting elvish song with his old friend.

Merry also stopped what he was doing to listen. "What do they say about him?"

Legolas didn't answer the hobbit right away, but slowly turned towards him, his eyes slightly downcast. "I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near."

Aragorn smiled slightly as Jack strode into the Fellowship's resting area. "Where is Ciryon, Elendur?" the ranger asked when Will didn't appear.

Jack retrieved his pack before he answered. "He is waiting for me; there is something we have to talk about in private. Oh, and the Lady Galadriel said that as long as we are here we could go by our real names, so it's Jack, savvy?"

Aragorn smile grew and he nodded. "Of course, Jack. Is everything alright?" Aragorn easily noticed that something seemed to be weighing heavily on the pirate captain, a weight that hadn't been there when they had entered the Golden Woods.

Jack just shrugged his shoulders and didn't answer as Sam began to add a part to the elves' lament for Gandalf.

"The finest rockets ever seen. They burst in stars of blue and green…" Jack watched, highly amused, as Gimli began to snore and Aragorn, highly annoyed with the dwarf, swatted Gimli's pillow, earning himself a grunt from the sleeping dwarf.

"…or after thunder, silver showers, came falling like a rain of flowers…oh that doesn't do them justice, not by a long shot." Sam finished, sitting down on his bedroll.

Jack turned to Sam and smiled broadly. "I have a feeling that it did do them justice, mate."

Jack turned back to Aragorn and stood up straight. "It's nothing Strider. We'll talk later." he replied to Aragorn's earlier question. Jack turned and left the area, taking his pack with him as he disappeared among the trees.

Aragorn sighed and lowered his head after the pirate had gone. He knew that there was something weighing on his friend's mind other than Gandalf's death, and he wished he knew how to help the pirate.

Sighing again, he raised his head and stared off into the trees, then spotted someone that he actually might be able to help. Getting up, he strode away from the resting area, passing a small table with glittering silver chalices on it, as he made his way over to where Boromir sat on a large tree root that protruded from the ground and formed a natural bench. Aragorn walked past the man a little and looked off into the trees. "Take some rest. These borders are well protected."

Boromir shifted uncomfortably. "I will find no rest here."

Aragorn blinked and turned to face the other man, who looked uncharacteristically weak and sad. Boromir continued. "I heard her voice inside my head. She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor. She said to me, 'Even now, there is hope left,' but I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope."

Aragorn came and sat down next to the other man as he continued to speak, finally opening up and voicing what had been bothering him for some time. "My father is a noble man, but his rule is failing. And now, our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I will do it, for I would see the glory of Gondor restored." He sighed and stared off into the distance, without really seeing the trees. "Have you ever seen it Aragorn? The White Tower of Ecthelion glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?" Boromir turned to Aragorn.

Aragorn nodded. "I have seen the White City. Long ago."

Boromir smiled at the ranger's answer. "One day, our paths will lead us there. And the tower guard shall take up the call. 'The Lords of Gondor have returned.'" Aragorn smiled slightly and then looked off, in deep thought, as Boromir stood and headed off into the trees.

"Where are you going?" Aragorn asked, standing as well, but not following.

Boromir turned slightly. "I saw Jack and Will go by here earlier. I want to see if I can find them."

Aragorn nodded, and Boromir turned and left. It suddenly dawned on Aragorn that Jack had said that he and Will needed to talk in private. _I'm sure they won't mind_. Aragorn thought as he sat back down on the tree root. He was glad to see Jack getting along with Boromir, and most of all with Will. Aragorn chuckled. Boromir and Will were definitely and odd pairing for a friendship and Aragorn had thought for sure that the two of them would be constantly butting heads, but it was the complete opposite. But then again, Will's attitude had changed immensely, in fact, it had been different the second time that Aragorn and Legolas had woken up in the Caribbean.

Aragorn sat for a long time contemplating different thoughts before he sensed someone's nearly silent approach. He smiled to himself. Even if he hadn't heard the elf, he knew Legolas too well, and it was nearly impossible for the elf prince to surprise him anymore, especially if Aragorn knew the prince was nearby.

"What are you doing _mellon nin_?" Legolas asked as he approached his friend.

"Just thinking things over, Legolas. How are the others?" Aragorn asked as Legolas sat down next to him.

"They are all asleep already, though I can't seem to find our dear pirate, blacksmith, or Lord Boromir."

"I have seen the three you speak of." another voice entered the conversation.

Legolas and Aragorn both looked up as Haldir approached, smirking. "You have?" Legolas asked as Haldir continued smirking.

"_Aphado nin_ Follow me." Haldir said as he headed back the way he had come. Aragorn and Legolas glanced at each other, before following the elf, wondering what the three had gotten themselves into this time.


	13. Chapter 13

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 13**

Haldir had led them a good distance from the rest of the Fellowship, before he finally stopped, just behind a clump of bushes. "Here, I believe, are the three you are looking for."

Aragorn and Legolas stepped up next to Haldir and looked over the bushes. In a small grove off trees just beyond the bushes were the three missing members of the Fellowship, sitting around a small fire, roaring with drunken laughter.

"I see Jack finally put your father's other gift to good use." Legolas said, barely holding back a laugh as he watched Jack, who along with Will had slipped his clothes from the Caribbean back on, try to stand up, only to fall back down. Will and Boromir roared with laughter at the drunken pirate. Aragorn also laughed, and that caught Will's attention.

The blacksmith turned in their direction and began vigorously waving them over to the fire, their names coming our rather slurred as he called them. Legolas looked to his friend and smiled wickedly. "Should we join them,_ mellon nin_?"

"I wouldn't pass up the opportunity." Haldir said coaxingly to Aragorn, who looked a little unsure. But then the ranger realized that this was likely to be one of his few chances to actually enjoy spending time with his friends.

"Go ahead, Legolas. I'll catch up." Aragorn said, and the elf prince nodded and headed off to the fire. Aragorn turned to Haldir. "When Legolas said he couldn't find a blacksmith and a pirate, how did you know he was referring to Elendur and Ciryon?"

Haldir just smiled. "I found them on my way back. It seems they are quite truthful while they are drunk, for they willingly gave up their true identities, saving you the trouble of explaining it to me. Now, go and join Jack and Will before they lose their voices from screaming your name!"

Aragorn laughed and smiled at Haldir before he ran over to the waiting group. He caught the bottle of wine that Legolas tossed him, and sat down between Will and Jack around the fire.

"No Legolas! Don't tell the story again!" Aragorn protested as Boromir began demanding that Legolas retell the skunk story, since Will hadn't been there to hear it. The five of them had been out in the woods for hours now, sharing embarrassing stories of all sorts and were by this time so drunk that they couldn't even stand. Aragorn and Legolas were the best off out of the five of them, since they were more used to the spiced elven wine than Boromir, Will, or Jack.

Legolas hiccupped and smiled lopsidedly at his friend. "It is one of our more interesting stories, Strider."

Aragorn narrowed his eyes and looked like he wanted to leap across the fire and attack the elf prince when he remembered something. "Perhaps it is time for an embarrassing story about you, my dear friend."

Legolas actually looked a little bewildered. Most of his most humiliating moments had been in the presence of the ranger and they had already rehashed those, so he was at a loss as to what this story could be. "Fine, tell your tale. I have nothing to hide." Legolas said, very overconfident with himself.

Aragorn chuckled. "Are you sure, _mellon nin_?" When Legolas again told him to proceed, Aragorn sat up straight and took in a deep breath. "Very well. This tale, my friends, takes place years before any of our parents were even born; well save for my foster father and Legolas' parents. It all began on a spring day in Rivendell…"

"ELLADAN!! ELROHIR!!" roared a voice through the halls of Rivendell. Several of the elves in the Last Homely House looked up in shock as a furious elven lord came storming down the corridors, murder in his flashing blue eyes.

Glorifindel stormed into the Hall of Fire, and found the two that he was seeking, along with a fair-haired elven prince, and a lovely dark-haired elf maiden. All four looked up at his entrance and the twins both winced as they caught sight of the angry elf, while Legolas and Arwen both covered their mouths to hide a grin.

Glorifindel stomped up to the very guilty-looking twins. Neither of them said anything for a long moment. Finally, the elf lord demanded an explanation. "Well? What have you two got to say for yourselves?"

Elladan bit his lip. "Umm…that color looks good on you?" Legolas and Arwen both burst into giggles and Glorifindel loomed even closer.

"Excuse me?"

Elrohir grinned weakly. "It was just a joke, Glorifindel. The color will wash right out, we promise. We knew about the feast tonight, so we made sure it wouldn't be permanent."

Glorifindel glared at the younger twin, as a strand of brilliant purple hair fell down into his eyes. "You're both very lucky, and you'd better be right, because that is the only thing that is keeping me from killing both of you right now."

'What's that, Glorifindel?" asked a gentle voice. The elf lord turned and saw a lovely blond elf maiden coming into the room on the arm of Lord Elrond. Glorifindel straightened in respect for his lord and lady, but sent another blistering glare at the twins.

"Nothing, Lady Celebrian. I was just warning your sons about the revenge they should anticipate if the color doesn't come out before tonight."

Celebrian laughed lightly. "Well, Glorifindel, should the color not come out, you have my full permission to exact that revenge, so long as no bodily harm comes to anyone."

"Mother!" both twins cried out.

Elrond laughed. "Well, _ion nin_ my sons, that will teach you not to play pranks on others, especially on the night of an important festival." With another laugh, Elrond and his wife left the room, followed by Glorifindel.

Legolas chuckled as he tried to catch his breath from laughing so hard. "You two really lucked out on that. I thought for sure you were dead meat."

The twins glowered at their friend, and Elrohir's hand inched towards a pillow, but Arwen noticed and quickly moved to divert the impending pillow fight. "What shall we do now that will keep you two out of Glorifindel's way until the feast later?

"How about a ride?" Legolas suggested. The others liked this idea and quickly moved towards the stables to get their horses. Before long they were riding through the cool trees of the valley that sheltered Imladris.

Elladan looked over at his friend and siblings. "What do you say to a race? Say, from here to the meadow just over the bridge?"

The others nodded. "What shall the prize be?" Elrohir asked.

Arwen grinned. "How about the losers have to do anything the winner wants, without protesting."

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "For how long?"

"Just until sundown." Arwen said.

The others nodded. "You're on." Elladan said. "Ready, set, go!"

The four horses roared into a gallop, with Legolas' white mare charging into an early lead. They flew through the trees, weaving around trunks and ducking low hanging branches. The bridge was looming up ahead of them, when Arwen's grey mare flew past the twins, who were struggling to keep up with Legolas, as his mare had longer strides than their two stallions. Arwen continued to eat into Legolas' lead, knowing that she had to pass him before they reached the bridge, otherwise he would win. The bridge was too narrow to allow two riders to pass abreast.

"_Noro lim Miiriel, noro lim_!" Arwen called, and the mare shifted into a higher gear, her strides lengthening as she gained on the Mirkwood prince. The bridge was only a few dozen strides away, and ahead of them was a log in their path. Legolas had a clear opening to go around it without slowing his pace, but the log was directly in Arwen's way. If she tried to go around it, she'd lose.

Instead, she urged her mare on and took the log in a flying leap, and as they landed, Miiriel was a scant length ahead of Legolas, and she continued to increase her lead, pounding over the wooden bridge and coming to a graceful halt in the meadow on the other side.

Arwen patted the mare on the neck, and Miiriel tossed her sweat soaked mane with pride as Legolas and the twins came to a stop a moment later. Elladan sighed. "Ok, sister dear. What do you have in mind? I know you have something planned; otherwise you wouldn't have suggested the prize for the winner."

Arwen grinned. "You'll see later. Just come to my room before the family feast tonight." Elrond and Celebrian were holding a private feast for themselves and their family, along with Legolas' mother and father, and Glorifindel. Afterward there would be dancing in the Hall of Fire.

The twins and Legolas exchanged nervous looks, but nodded, it was part of the deal after all.

_Later that night…_

"You can't be serious, Arwen!" Elladan protested looking at his sister in shock.

"I most certainly am, and be grateful that you only have to do this during the family feast, not the dancing afterwards. I'm not that cruel." Arwen shot back, holding out the dress again.

Elrohir and Legolas both groaned in unison. As Arwen continued to insist, they finally submitted and took the dresses that she handed them. Then she shooed them into a different area to change. "When you're done, get out here and I'll help you with your hair."

Arwen's punishment for the three of them was that they dress as maidens during the family feast, in some of her long dresses, with their hair done up in some of the styles that she frequently wore, and even with the make-up that she only lightly used.

Amid much grumbling, the three finally came back out, wearing the proffered garments. Legolas was dressed in a gown of turquoise and silver silk, with peals running along the neckline. Elladan wore a pure silver dress with long sleeves that trailed all the way to the ground, and Elrohir was in a deep purple, with golden trim. Arwen smiled. "You all look lovely. I'm tempted to make you dress like this for the dancing, but I won't."

The three sighed in relief. Then, one by one, Arwen sat them down and began to style their hair, covering them with elaborate headdresses and adding a bit of makeup to their faces. When they were done, she went to work on her own costume for the night, emerging from her room in a dress of sky blue, with a rainbow colored sash around her waist, and a headdress of sparkling diadems on her forehead.

"Arwen, dear? Have you seen Legolas and your brothers?" Celebrian's voice came in through the closed door.

"You can come in, mother!" Arwen called.

The Lady of Rivendell opened the door and stopped in shock. "Arwen? What's the meaning of this?"

"They lost a race with me this afternoon, and this was my prize. They have to wear this during dinner, and then they can change before the dancing starts." Arwen said her musical voice ringing out in laughter at the embarrassed looks on the three males' faces.

Celebrian laughed in amusement. "A most interesting prank, dear. Well, everyone is gathering. Shall we go?"

The five of them all exited Arwen's room and headed down to the veranda where the family was gathering for the meal. Celebrian and Arwen entered, but the twins and Legolas hesitated at the door, until Arwen beckoned them onto the veranda that overlooked the Brunien River.

The rest of the dinner group looked up and gasped in shock. Arwen quickly explained, and Glorifindel burst out laughing. Elrond was hiding a smirk, and Thranduil looked torn between shock and amusement at his son's predicament. Legolas' mother Merenwen, however, was laughing out loud as well.

Dinner progressed smoothly, if the continuous laughter of a now blonde Glorifindel was excused. As soon as the meal was over, the three elves fled the table, desperate to get into their own clothing, and trying to get out of Arwen's dresses before the household staff saw them. As it was, there was no way that this would remain a secret, as Glorifindel was certain to spread it around the next morning.

Legolas went wide-eyed, his wine bottle tumbling to the ground when he dropped it in shock. _How in the name of the Valar had Aragorn learned of that story_?

"And that, my friends, is my tale of our dear Legolas." Aragorn finished.

Boromir, Will, and Jack all turned to face Legolas who sat staring at Aragorn in horror. He definitely knew that he had never uttered a word about it, and he knew for a fact that the twins hadn't. "Who told you that?!" Legolas managed to stammer out through his shock. Aragorn shrugged and swallowed more of his own wine, not giving the elf an answer.

Legolas sat there, trying to figure out who had known about that story, in fact, who could have even remembered it well enough to tell the ranger about it. Finally, it dawned on him through his alcohol-clouded mind. "I'm going to kill Arwen!" Legolas screamed in fury.

This sent Legolas' fellow drunks into a roaring fit of laughter, which was definitely saying something as they had already been laughing quite hard, picturing Legolas and the twins dressed up as maidens. Jack snorted as he tried to calm down. "Don't worry mate, I'm sure you looked absolutely radiant in the gown." This sent them all into another fit of laughter.

Aragorn finally managed to calm himself down. "No, Legolas. Arwen had nothing to do with me finding this out, and neither did Glorifindel to answer your inevitable question."

Legolas' frown deepened and his eyes narrowed as Will fell back, rolling on the ground with laughter. "Then who did Estel?"

Aragorn chuckled at the dark tone in his friend's voice, along with the face that the prince was making. "My father told me, after the council meeting when you and my loving brothers embarrassed me with the skunk story."

Legolas felt his jaw drop. He never expected to hear that as his friend's answer. "Lord Elrond told you?" Aragorn nodded and Legolas groaned. The elf rolled his eyes. "Now I know where Elladan and Elrohir get it from."

This sent Aragorn into another fit of laughing agreement. Legolas looked off to his right and noticed that Boromir, who was sitting next to him, as well as Jack were both staring at him intently, like they were sizing him up. Legolas cocked and eyebrow as Boromir nodded and leaned in and whispered something to Jack, who began laughing lightly.

"What?" Legolas asked cautiously, not sure he wanted to hear what they were laughing about.

Jack shrugged. "Oh nothing. Boromir just agreed with me that turquoise isn't your color, mate."

Aragorn spit his drink out and began to half-laugh, half-gag on the wine that had been on it's way down, and Will gripped his aching sides as he erupted in laughter again, both finding the fact that the famous pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and Boromir, one of the most skilled warriors and captains in all of Gondor were actually discussing fashion sense and being quite serious on the matter. Or rather, Jack was anyway, as he continued to argue with Legolas while Boromir, finally realizing what he was discussing, joined in with Will and Aragorn's laughter.

Meanwhile…

Saruman stood on a high platform, overlooking a vast cavern that was filled with his freshly armored fighting Uruk-hai, gathered before him.

"Hunt them down! Do not stop until they are found. You do not know pain, you do not know fear. You will taste man-flesh!" he said fiercely to his gathered troops, who raised their weapons and shook them as they roared. Saruman slowly turned and faced his Uruk-hai leader, Lurtz, and began to issue him separate orders.

"One of the Halflings carries something of great value. There are also three Rangers traveling with them. Bring them to me alive, and unspoiled. Kill the others."

With a roar, Lurtz turned and made his way off the platform, leaving a smirking Saruman behind. He knew of Jack and Will. He had known since the moment the two had come to Middle-Earth. He had felt the earth tremble as it tried to accommodate for the shift of the worlds and times involved, and he had easily felt the amount of magic needed to actually bring the two here. He laughed at Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond for their foolishness in thinking that they could transport these two outer-world beings here without him knowing it.

He had immediately turned to his Palantir and had been able to catch glimpses of them for a brief time. When they had entered Rivendell he had lost sight of them for a time, as Elrond's magic was strong enough to shield the valley from his gaze. He had been able to track them from the moment that they had left the safety of the valley, until just recently, when they had entered the woods of Lothlórien. As powerful as he was, he couldn't pass Galadriel's magic either. Even without a Ring of Power, she was still very powerful. She was one of the oldest living elves in Middle-Earth, having come over from Valinor with the Noldor when they came to Middle-Earth at the time of the Kin-Slaying. He hesitated to go directly against her at this time, but soon the time would come when nothing would stand between the power of Sauron and Saruman.

No longer would he have to use his Seeing-stone to track the two out-worlders. Soon he would be able to talk to them about certain matters, and their loyalties, in person.


	14. Chapter 14

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 14**

Aragorn groaned and rolled over onto his side, covering his face with his hand as he did so, trying to block out the bright morning sunlight. He wished he could extinguish the sunlight as easily as he could the light of a candle. Sighing, he sat up slowly, propping himself on his elbow, knowing that his headache and nausea would keep him from going back to sleep. The ranger looked around at his companions. Jack was lying on the ground next to him, cuddling with a half-empty bottle of wine. Will was nowhere to be seen, and Boromir was lying on his back, moaning from the intensity of his headache.

Aragorn sat up a little more glanced across the remains of the fire at Legolas. The elf was lying on his side, facing the ranger. Even though the elf's eyes were open, Aragorn knew that his friend was still asleep as the normally sparkling blue orbs were glazed and unfocused. "Where's Will?" Aragorn finally asked when the blacksmith didn't appear after a few moments.

"I'm here." came the response from among the trees.

Turning to his right, Aragorn spied the blacksmith coming back to the dead fire, one arm wrapped around his stomach, looking pale and miserable. Aragorn smiled sympathetically as the younger man sat back down, remembering the first time that the twins had introduced him to Elrond's spiced wine. The results had been…interesting, to say the least, and Elrond had not been happy the next morning.

Will groaned as his stomach again announced its displeasure with him. "Somebody kill me the next time I even look at a bottle of wine."

"The same goes for me." Boromir mumbled from his spot as he rolled over onto his stomach. Another groan issued from the now awake Jack, who was of course suffering from a major hangover. The four stayed awake, talking softly as anything louder made their heads feel like they were about to explode.

"Estel, do you have any potions or tonics that will get rid of these headaches?" Jack asked, rubbing his temples in a last attempt to rid himself of the pounding in his brain.

Aragorn sighed. "I'm sorry, Jack. I don't, but when we get back to the others I'll ask the Lady Galadriel if she has anything." He sighed and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, my friends. Legolas and I probably should have warned you that my father's spiced wine is more potent than anything you are used to. Both of us have had it many times in the past, so I forgot about that." He looked over at the still sleeping elf. "Although, if you think this is bad, be thankful that we weren't drinking the wine that King Thranduil, Legolas' father enjoys so much. That is about two times as potent as what we drank last night."

All three of the others groaned at this thought. None of them could even imagine being more hung over than they currently were, not even Jack, who had had his fair share of wild nights.

"Well then let's go back now. I for one can't stand this anymore." Boromir declared as he rose quickly to his feet, only to stumble back when he lost his balance, wincing at the light wave of nausea that washed over him.

Aragorn and Jack both took a slightly slower approach to standing, and had a bit more success, although Jack still nearly fell flat on his face.

"Well, at least we didn't have any rude awakenings like the last time, eh Strider?" Jack asked.

Aragorn laughed lightly. "Yes. Not slamming heads with you is a much better way to wake up while I have the mother of all hangovers."

Jack smiled at the memory. "Actually, it was Elizabeth and her 'Orc screech' that made that happen."

Will's head whipped around. "She does not screech like an orc!"

Jack smirked as he bent down and began picking up the things from his pack that had somehow gotten scattered all over their sleeping area. "Only a little and it was Legolas who said it, savvy?"

"Why did he say it then?" Boromir asked as he handed Jack an empty bottle.

Aragorn laughed. "Because elves don't exist in their world, so she was unaware of the fact that when elves sleep, they do so with their eyes open." He pointed at the still sleeping prince for evidence. "When she saw Legolas sleeping like that, it startled her and she screamed, because she thought he was dead."

Boromir joined in on the ranger's laughter. "She thought that he was dead? That must have been disturbing, then." He turned and looked at Legolas, thoughtfully, although the amusement in his voice was obvious when he spoke again. "I suppose that we should wake him up."

Jack frowned. "Why? Just so that he can tease us about how elves don't get hangovers because they are too perfect?" Jack remembered the last time that he had been with Aragorn and Legolas, on the beach after they had been marooned. The elf prince had been happily rubbing their faces in the fact that the alcohol had not affected him, and Jack recalled wanting to backhand the elf prince for that.

"Elves don't get hangovers?! That's not fair; he should have to suffer too!" Will protested, his voice rising at this, causing his fellow drunks to cringe.

"Not so loud mate or I'll shove this bottle where the sun don't shine, savvy?" Jack asked, waving an empty bottle threateningly.

"Well, unfortunately there is nothing we can actually do to give him a hangover and make him suffer." Aragorn replied as he kicked a loose stone.

"Who said he had to suffer by a hangover? There are other ways, mind you."

Aragorn turned to Boromir, and eyed him warily as he caught an all too familiar look in the other man's eyes. The ranger had seen that look many times in the eyes of his brothers right before they played some prank or got up to some mischief. "Which would be what?"

Boromir just smirked and turned to Jack. "Didn't I see rope in your pack earlier?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Tying him up won't do a thing, especially since you will be trying to tie up an elf. They are masters at extracting themselves from being bound. Give them the slightest bit of slack in the rope and they'll be free in a second, unless they choose to stay bound."

Jack squatted down and began searching for the rope. "But there are four of us and one of him. I'm sure we could pull it off. And look at it this way, if it works you have more blackmail on your best friend, savvy?"

The pirate located the coil of rope and tossed it up to Aragorn, who caught it, even though he was still shaking his head. "I'm telling you it will never work."

_Eight minutes later…_

"I can't believe it worked!" Aragorn said with a laugh as Boromir finished tying the final knot, binding the cursing elf to a tree while Will tried his best to nurse Jack back to his feet.

Aragorn, being the most experienced at stalking and immobilizing elves, had literally dove on top of the sleeping elf, pinning his arms to his sides. The other three had rushed in and done their best to assist the ranger with the disturbed and struggling prince, who had begun to thrash about, accidentally kicking Jack where no man EVER wants to be kicked.

Needless to say, after that Jack had been out of the fight, along with Will, who had been ordered by Aragorn to assist their fallen comrade. Legolas had used that opportunity to try to get to his feet and escape by leaping into the trees, but had been prevented from making a clean getaway when Aragorn had caught the elf, pinning him with a vice-like headlock.

After that, Aragorn and Boromir had proceeded to drag the elf towards the nearest tree, making slow but steady progress. Once they made it to the tree, Aragorn kept Legolas pinned while Boromir wrapped part of the long rope around the elf's hands first, tying them tightly together so that he couldn't undo the knots. After that, Aragorn had forced Legolas to sit on the ground with his back to the tree trunk, while Boromir ran the rest of the rope around the prince's chest and the tree, tying off the knots in such a way that the prince couldn't escape.

Boromir straightened and walked over to the ranger from behind the tree. "We told you it would." He patted the trussed-up elf on the head the same way that he would have to encourage a puppy that had done a trick correctly.

"You will ALL live to regret this!" Legolas screamed in fury as the Gondorian walked past Aragorn and over to where Jack was still lying on the ground, with Will kneeling next to him. As Aragorn helped the pirate to his feet, Boromir grabbed their belongings and slung them over his shoulder as the foursome turned and began to walk away.

Legolas' eyes went wide. They were actually going to leave him like this! "Wait! Don't just leave me here!" the elf pleaded as the four humans turned and regarded their friend.

"I say we leave it up to Jack." Will said as they looked at the prince. "He is the one who suffered an injury after all." The others agreed to this suggestion.

Jack narrowed his eyes as he stared at the elf prince, who just smiled at him sheepishly and apologetically, obviously hoping that the pirate would release him.

"You forgot to gag him Strider, and I wish for you to do so now." Jack finally said, before he turned and walked out of the clearing with Boromir and Will. Aragorn nodded and moved towards the prince, pulling out a long piece of clean cloth and binding it around his friend's mouth, silencing any attempts to yell. Then, having granted Jack's request, Aragorn turned and hurried off after the others, leaving Legolas bound and gagged to a tree.

_I'm going to kill them_! Legolas thought angrily as he wriggled around, trying to get enough slack in the ropes to free himself, but to no avail. _Where in the name of the Valar did Boromir learn to tie knots?_ he wondered as he gave up for the moment and leaned his head back against the tree trunk, closing his eyes as he tried to contemplate a means of escaping. After a few moments, Legolas' eyes snapped open as he registered the sound of approaching footsteps. He could tell by the light sounds made on the grass that the footsteps didn't belong to a hobbit, human, or even their dwarf companion, but instead to an elf and more than one at that.

"Prince Legolas?"

Legolas winced and slowly turned his head to the left where the voice had come from. He came face to face with Haldir, Celeborn, and Galadriel. Celeborn was the one who had spoken to him. Galadriel smiled and shook her head as she instructed a laughing Haldir to untie the prince, who had now been completely humiliated for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

"Out-witted by a group of humans?! I promise that you shall never live this down, my friend!" Haldir jested as he quickly removed Legolas' gag and went to work on untying the rope binding the prince to the tree.

Legolas hissed as his hands finally came free and he was able to stand up. "Yes, I am sure that between you and your brothers this little incident will get around Lothlorien quite quickly." he replied, unamused.

"You have no idea!" Haldir laughed.

Legolas grumbled and faced the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien, who were both trying to hide any amusement that they might have felt at the situation in an attempt to spare the prince's feelings.

"Well, Legolas, your companions are packed and nearly ready to depart, so I suggest that you hurry and catch up to them." Celeborn said.

Legolas bowed his head and hurried off towards where the rest of the Fellowship was waiting, with Haldir in hot pursuit as the March-Warden continued to taunt the prince. As he emerged in the clearing where the rest of the Fellowship was waiting, he saw that everything was indeed packed and ready to go, and that they were all sitting around waiting for him.

"Where have you been, Legolas?" Frodo asked as the elf walked by. Legolas came to a dead stop. They didn't know! None of the four guilty ones had breathed a word about what they had done to him. But this now left him in the position of having to make up an excuse off the top of his head.

"I ummm was…" Legolas began to stammer.

"He was a little tied up this morning." Boromir finished for Legolas, who tensed up almost imperceptibly at the man's words, but relaxed again when the man didn't continue his explanation.

Sam cocked his head. "Tied up with what?"

"Royal duties. He is a prince after all, Sam." Aragorn replied with an amused smirk.

Legolas nodded in agreement with his friend and was relieved when the hobbit didn't press the issue further. He then turned and faced the four men. "I need to have a word with the four of you, right now." He kept his face calm and his tone level, but made sure that he left no doubt in their minds that he was deadly serious.

Haldir cleared his throat. "Little masters, Master Dwarf, if you are ready you can follow us. My brothers Rumil, Orophin, and I will take you to where Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel are waiting." The March-Warden cast a quick glance at his brothers, who had been talking to Aragorn as they waited for Legolas. While the prince had been making excuses for his whereabouts, Haldir had quietly whispered to his brothers the truth, and now they were looking forward to seeing what the elf was going to do to the four men.

Rumil narrowed his eyes in annoyance at his brother as he waved his hand for Gimli and the hobbits to follow him. As the hobbits and Gimli left, Orophin jumped up into the trees to follow from above, and Haldir brought up the rear.

Legolas waited until they were gone before he turned to the others. "Why did you four tie me up this morning?" he asked calmly.

"Because we thought that you needed to suffer like the rest of us." Will said. "And since elves are so special and can't get hangovers, Boromir came up with a new way for you to suffer."

Legolas nodded as he slowly began to make his way over to his belongings. "Ah, well then, I guess that explains it. But…" Legolas paused and retrieved his bow and a single arrow. "…you do know that you will be receiving payback for this."

Quicker than lightning, the elf notched his arrow and spun around, firing as he spun. The arrow sailed the short distance to its target, embedding itself in the tree root Jack was sitting on, coming to rest right between the pirate's legs.

The pirate gave a small cry and leapt backwards a bit, falling off the tree root in a tumble, nearly kicking Aragorn in the head as he fell. "Stop trying to make me a eunuch! Isn't it enough that Will is one?" Jack yelled shakily, hiding behind the root.

Will just frowned and rolled his eyes in disgust as he did every time Jack mentioned that old comment. The blacksmith turned to help Jack up.

Legolas shrugged in answer to Jack's yell, and turned to put his bow away. Then he spotted something lying on the ground next to his pack and picked it up, heading over to the small fire that the hobbits had been using for their breakfasts, unnoticed by the others who were all laughing at Jack.

Finally the foursome rose and began to gather up their belongings. Boromir paused and then began to rummage frantically through his belongings.

"Boromir? What's wrong?" Aragorn asked.

"My horn! The Horn of Gondor is gone!" Boromir said in a panic as he tossed Aragorn's sword and cloak out of the way. "I know I put it here this morning when we got back!"

Jack put his pack down and began to look through it carefully, in case it had accidentally been placed in the wrong pack. "Easy there, mate. It has to be here somewhere." Jack said as Will and Aragorn also joined in on the search.

"Hmmm…this really is a beautiful horn Boromir." Legolas' musical voice rang out.

The four men froze and looked up at the elf, who was holding Boromir's horn and standing near the fire. To Boromir's horror, the prince was only holding the horn by its leather strap, and the beautiful ivory horn was dangling precariously over the flames.

"What are you doing?!" Boromir shouted in panic as a small smile began to form on the prince's features. Legolas didn't reply and let the strap slip a bit further from his fingers, bringing the horn closer to the flames.

The elf had to force himself to keep from laughing as Boromir began to try and bribe him into giving him back his precious horn. Some of the offers included Boromir polishing Legolas' bow daily, waiting on the elf hand and foot, and so on.

Legolas finally chuckled and tossed the horn carefully back to Boromir, who had gotten down on his knees, his hands clasped before him in a begging manner. "I am not that cruel son of Denethor, but be wary, for I may hold you to your offers just the same. Now…" Legolas bent down and picked up his quiver, bow, and pack and arranged them on his back. "Let's go and join the hobbits before Aragorn gets it into his mind to dye someone else's skin purple with blueberries."

Aragorn's jaw dropped as Legolas turned and left, leaving him there with a very pissed off pirate captain. Jack just stood there and glared at the ranger, who smiled sheepishly as him. "I'm sorry?" Aragorn offered, as that was all that he could think of to say.

"I am going to kill you, and it will be very slow and painful, savvy?" Jack responded.

Will shook his head. "Kill him later, Jack. We're running late."

Jack just grumbled, already planning his revenge as they followed Legolas to where Celeborn and a few of Galadriel's ladies were waiting for them by the river.

The mists of the morning lay heavy on the river and the surrounding woods, as an elegant ship came sailing out of the mist, with Galadriel standing perfectly still in the bow of the boat. The Lady was silent, glad all in white, with a gold coronet on her head.

Meanwhile, the Fellowship had lined up along the riverbank, side by side, in front of the waiting elves. Celeborn watched as the elves fastened soft cloaks around each person's neck, adding identical green, silver-veined leaf-shaped brooches to the front of the material.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help to shield you from unfriendly eyes." the elf lord spoke once all the cloaks had been given to the Fellowship. All elven members bowed to the elf lord in thanks, and turned to the four boats that the Lord and Lady had offered to provide for them, packing their belongings into the little boats.

The first thing they did was decide who was traveling with whom. Aragorn volunteered to take Frodo and Sam in his boat, and Boromir agreed to take Merry and Pippin.

"I'll take Will!" Jack offered eagerly, and Will nodded in agreement. This left Legolas and Gimli as traveling companions. Gimli huffed and rolled his eyes at the prince. Legolas narrowed his eyes at the pirate. "You had that planned the whole time didn't you?" he asked, annoyed.

Jack nodded. "Yeah."

Aragorn laughed and headed towards his boat, climbing in it carefully. "Jack, pass me some of the extra blankets, please?"

Jack nodded. An idea began to form in his mind as he picked up three blankets and began to make his way towards where Aragorn stood, his arms outstretched to receive the blankets.

Legolas, meanwhile, began shifting small parcels into Merry and Pippin's boat. Reaching into one he pulled out some of the contents, a thin wafer, and held it up for the two hobbits to see.

"_Lembas_! Elvish way bread!" he took a small bite off of the corner of the wafer. "One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a…" Legolas was cut off by a sudden cry, followed by a loud splash. Looking up, he saw Jack retreating from the edge of the river, where one of the elven boats was floating upside down. After a few seconds, Aragorn's head popped up out of the water, and the ranger spat out a mouthful of water, spluttering words in a combination of elvish and common.

"That was for tripping me back in the marshes." Jack informed the soaked and muddy ranger as he dragged himself out of the cold water and stood, shivering ever so slightly. Aragorn glared at his friend. Stupid pirate. the ranger thought as he picked up his bag, turned and approached Celeborn and Galadriel.

Galadriel was speaking with her husband and was facing in Aragorn's direction, so she noticed him first. "How is it that you always manage to get yourself in trouble, Estel?" Galadriel asked him telepathically.

"I don't know." Aragorn replied. The first time he had met the Lord and Lady he had been quite a bit younger and had somehow managed to get his head stuck in between the posts of a railing outside, thanks to a dare from his brothers. And it seemed from that moment on, the rare occasions that he had spent in their company always ended up with him making an idiot out of himself.

"Come with me, Estel." Celeborn said as he escorted the ranger to a nearby grove of trees where he could have some privacy to change. The elf lord waited until Aragorn emerged again, in clothes almost exactly the same as the ones that he had been wearing, before he began to speak to the ranger about the Fellowship's traveling route.

"Estel, you must be careful. Every league you travel south, the danger will increase. Mordor Orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin."

Aragorn eyed the elf lord as Celeborn continued. "Nor will you find safety on the western bank. Strange creatures, bearing the mark of the White Hand have been seen on our borders." He grabbed the ranger's arm, pulling him to a halt as his voice grew more urgent. "Seldom do Orcs journey in the open, under the sun, yet these have done so!"

Aragorn studied the concerned elf's face for a long moment, before he looked down at Celeborn's hands. The elf lord was holding out an elvish hunting knife to him. Aragorn gently took it and withdrew it from its sheath. The blade curved gently, like most elvish blades, and there was an inscription in Sindarin on the blade. Aragorn gently ran his fingers over the inscription as he read it. The letters spelled out the words _Gud Daedheloth_ Foe of Morgoth's realm. The handgrip of the knife was made of a dark hardwood, with a brass pommel nut.

"_Le aphadar aen_. You are being followed." Celeborn spoke again as Aragorn resheathed the knife and looked up at him. "By river you have a chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros."

As the sun began to peek over the hills and Caras Galadhon faded away into the mists, the Fellowship continued their journey by river. As they paddled down the swift-flowing river, each of them began to reflect on their parting from the Lady Galadriel.

Legolas smiled; a distant look in his eye as he recalled what had happened…

flashback

"My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin." As Galadriel spoke, she handed Legolas a beautifully carved longbow, made of mallorn heartwood. Legolas ran his hands over the elegantly crafted vines and leaf-work which were made of silver and wrapped all along the spine of the bow. The Lady smiled as he drew back the string to test the pull on the bow.

Moving on, she handed two small daggers to Merry and Pippin, who gazed at the blades with as much awe as Legolas had when he received his bow. "These are the daggers of the Noldorim. They have already seen service in war." Pippin looked a little bit uncertain. "Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage."

Next in line was Jack. She smiled as the pirate accepted her gift to him. Jack's eyes widened in awe as he realized what he was holding. In his hands was the finest compass that he had ever laid eyes on, made of mithril, and inlaid with pearls to mark the different directions. But what really caught Jack's eye was the fact that the pearls were not the normal off-white color. Instead, they were the much rarer black ones. Jack looked up at the elf-queen, wondering how she knew that his ship was named the "Black Pearl". Jack found that for once in his life he was literally at a loss for words.

However, Galadriel wasn't done yet, and she handed him two bundles of arrows that matched the ones that he had been given by Aragorn when they had left Rivendell, right down to the black stain on the wood and the pirate's symbol carved below the fletching. "Thank you _hiril nin_ my lady." he finally managed to say. Mentally, he added these will be put to good use as _we_ continue on.

Galadriel smiled brightly at him, knowing that he had spoken for both of them; himself and Will, and that they had both decided to continue on. Privately she thought to herself, We made a good choice, meaning the decision to bring the two out-worlders to Middle-Earth.

Boromir was next to Will, and to him Galadriel handed a belt made of gold and a new dagger which greatly resembled his sword in its blade shape and the shape of the pommel. The only differences were that the blade had bronze detailing, and the handle itself was wrapped with gold wire. Boromir bowed his head and thanked Galadriel for the gifts as she moved on to Will.

"This is a gift for more than just you, William." she said as she handed the blacksmith a small box with elvish runes etched into it. Will carefully opened the box and realized immediately what the elf-queen meant, for inside was a ring, a ring he would give to Elizabeth after he returned from Middle-Earth.

He carefully took it out of the box and studied it. The sides were decorated with a very delicate vine pattern made of gold, while the rest of the ring was silvery in color and Will guessed that it was made out of mithril. In the center of the band, raised ever so slightly on its setting was a pale green stone, so pale it appeared almost clear. He blinked when his finger ran over etching on the inside, and he turned the ring over to look. However, he found that he wasn't able to read the words, since it was written in elvish.

"_Elen sila lumen omentielvo_. It is Quenya, the High Elven tongue."

"What does it mean?" Will asked softly.

"A star shone on the hour of our meeting." Galadriel replied telepathically.

Will smiled and nodded. "It truly did. Thank you, Elizabeth will love this, it is truly beautiful."

Galadriel then held something else out to him, something that he had been lacking for a while now, as he had not had time to make one for himself. The second gift was a sheath for his sword. It was bound in leather that had been dyed black, and had silver detailing at the top and bottom. Will smiled and as she moved on to Sam, he hooked the sheath to his belt, and then slid his sword into it, finding it to be an absolutely perfect fit.

"And for you, Samwise Gamgee, elven rope, made of hithlain." she said, handing him a coil of thin, yet strong rope.

Sam bowed slightly as he accepted the gift. "Thank you, my lady." He paused and looked over at Merry, Pippin, and Boromir's gifts. "Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?"

The Lady of the Galadhrim smiled at him and he blushed slightly. She moved on to the next member of the Fellowship…Gimli. The dwarf looked down at the ground. As Galadriel spoke, the sunlight caught the gold of her hair, and it shone underneath the poignant blues, greens, and whites of the forest. "And what gift would a dwarf ask of the elves?"

Gimli shook his head. "Nothing." Something seemed to change in him then, and he cautiously looked up at her. "Except to look upon the Lady of the Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth."

Galadriel giggled at his words, smiling down at the dwarf. Gimli grunted and turned to walk away, but he halted and turned back to her. "Actually there was one thing- ah, agh, that's quite impossible. Stupid to ask…"

end flashback

Gimli was now sitting in the boat with Legolas, a faint smile on his face and a far away look in his eyes. From another boat, Aragorn glanced towards them, then away as he too remembered the farewell on the shores of Lothlorien.

flashback

Galadriel now stood before Aragorn and placed her hand on the Evenstar pendant. "I have nothing greater to give, than that which you already bear. _Am meleth din, I ant e-guil Arwen Undomiel pelitha._ For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar will diminish."

Both stood looking into each other's eyes, seeing the sorrow reflected there. At length Aragorn spoke. "_Aniron i e broniatha ar periatham amar hen. Aniron e ciratha a Valannor._ I would have her leave these shores and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor.

Galadriel was still looking at the pendant lying against Aragorn's chest as she spoke. "That choice is yet before her." She raised her eyes to meet Aragorn's. "You have your own choice to make Aragorn. To rise above the height of all of your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin."

There was silence for a moment, as the two studied each other again. Galadriel glanced back down at the pendant, and then smiled as she looked back at Aragorn's face. "_Namarie_. Farewell"

Aragorn bowed his head and laid his hand over his heart, until she slipped her fingers underneath his chin and tilted his head back up so she could look into his eyes again. "_I gerich._ There is much you have to do." As she looked into Aragorn's eyes, both sorrow and joy began to shine in her own. She moved her hand to gently cradle Aragorn's cheek in her hand. "_Dan, u-eveditham, Elessar_. We shall not meet again…Elessar."

end flashback

Frodo sat in the boat with Aragorn and Sam, hearing the echo of her voice in his mind as he reflected on her gift to him.

flashback

Lady Galadriel stood in front of him, and handed him a crystalline vessel shaped like a teardrop, filled with clear water and shining light. "_Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Earendil, our most beloved star_."

Frodo looked up at her as she leaned forward and kissed the top of his head.

end flashback

Back in the boat, Frodo looked again at the glass in his hand, before looking up at the shore. The Lady stood there, her right arm upraised, her hand adorned with Nenya, the Ring of Water. She still wore her golden coronet, but she had placed a white cloak over her head and shoulders. As the little boat sailed by, she spoke to him silently. "_May it be a light to you, in dark places, when all other lights go out._" As the words echoed through his mind, Frodo finally looked away.

Later that day…

It was about mid-day now, and during most of the time from their departure from Lothlorien the Fellowship had traveled in silence. Gimli finally broke the silence as he sighed softly and began speaking to Legolas. "I have taken my worst wound at this parting, having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I shall call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me."

Legolas blinked. "What was her gift?" the elf had been so busy admiring his bow that he hadn't noticed what the Lady had given Gimli.

Gimli again got a fair away look in his eye. "I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three."

Legolas couldn't help but smile at the dwarf. Maybe he isn't so bad after all. the prince thought to himself.


	15. Chapter 15

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 15**

It was well past sunset and the Fellowship had stopped and made camp for the night on a small beach along the shoreline. The hobbits and Gimli all sat around a small fire finishing their dinners while the others made a short patrol of the area around their campsite.

Boromir walked alone along the river's edge. He caught sight of something moving along the water and ducked behind a large rock, peering out at the dark water. He breathed out a sigh when he realized it was just a log floating down river, and began to mentally lecture himself for being too paranoid, when he noticed a pair of hands holding the log, and the top of a head barely visible over it. The man of the south frowned as a pair of eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Aragorn came up behind the other man, not really worried about the creature seeing him. He sighed. "Gollum. He's tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would lose him on the river, but he's too clever a waterman."

Boromir continued to watch Gollum. "And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous."

"What will make the crossing more dangerous?" Will asked as he, Jack, and Legolas joined the other two men.

"Gollum." Boromir said as he continued to stare at the log, which had bumped up against the river's edge and was now resting against some rocks.

Legolas frowned and stepped up next to the other man, his keen eyes easily piercing the darkness as he also watched the log, looking for any signs of the creature that had somehow escaped from his people. The elf sighed. "Our crossing will be no more dangerous than it already is."

Aragorn nodded in agreement. Whatever these creatures that were following them were, according to Celeborn, they would likely kill Gollum before he could tell them anything about the Fellowship's location.

Boromir finally turned and spoke, directing his words to Aragorn, who was now the leader of the group. "Minas Tirith is the safer road. You know that. From there we can regroup, strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."

"I don't know, mate." Jack said, knowing as well as the rest of them the chaos that could ensue if the Ring was brought into a human city. Things would likely turn very ugly very quickly.

Aragorn shook his head as he replied. "There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us."

Boromir frowned. "You were quick enough to trust the Elves!"

"Because we are not so easily corrupted by the Ring." Legolas replied, but Boromir showed no signs of listening to the elf prince.

Boromir continued speaking to Aragorn. "Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes there is weakness, there is frailty. But there is courage also, and honor to be found among men. But you will not see that."

Aragorn opened his mouth like he was going to respond to that statement, but quickly closed his mouth without speaking and moved to turn away. Boromir's temper rose and he quickly reached out and grabbed the ranger's arm, turning Aragorn back around to face him. Will reacted instantly and grabbed Boromir's arm, trying to get him to release Aragorn, but the Gondorian just shook the blacksmith off, which was no mean feat, considering how strong Will was from working the forge.

"You are afraid! All your life, you have hidden in the shadows, scared of who you are, what you are!" Boromir yelled.

"That's enough!" Will shouted as he again grabbed Boromir's arm and this time managed to pull the older man off of Aragorn. Boromir looked at Will, who was glaring at him, as were Jack and Legolas.

Aragorn turned to go again, but then he stopped and turned back to Boromir. "I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!" With that, Aragorn turned and left.

Boromir glared after the ranger's retreating form, until Legolas came and stood in front of him, blocking his view of Aragorn. The elf was looking almost murderous as he grabbed the lord of Gondor by his tunic and dragged him closer.

"Don't you EVER do that again, son of Denethor! Because if you do, I swear to the Valar I'll…"

Boromir shoved Legolas away from him, cutting him off. "You'll do what, elf?" he spat, the word elf sounding like a slur.

Legolas began to move forward towards the man again. "Do you really want to find out?" the prince questioned darkly. The two of them stood there, neither of them lifting a finger against the other, but rather at the moment, trying to stare each other down.

Jack's attention wasn't on the two. Instead the pirate was looking past the two of them at the fire. Frodo was sitting there watching the scene unfold, fear in his eyes. Jack turned back to the elf and man. "Why don't you two just knock it the hell off?" he asked, finally deciding to intervene.

Legolas broke eye contact first and turned, giving Boromir one last glance over his shoulder as he began to walk over to where Aragorn was getting ready to go to sleep. He only made it a few paces before he stopped and turned back to Boromir. "In case you didn't realize it, Boromir, the reason Estel has not come to Minas Tirith as the King yet is because he was raised by Lord Elrond for his own protection." The elf's voice was icy, but slowly grew more heated. "Like you, Aragorn has a lot to live up to, and that is not a choice that should be made in haste. Why don't you think about that next time? He is my friend, and I will not see him insulted."

With that, the elf prince turned and stalked off after Aragorn, who had moved to where the hobbits and Gimli had watched the argument and was trying to reassure them.

Boromir turned to Will and Jack, who were both staring at him. Jack didn't say anything, just sighed and looked down at the ground before walking over to the fire to get some food before his watch started. Will just stared at Boromir, who looked as if Will had just stabbed him in the back.

Will sighed. "I'm sorry, Boromir. But I know what it did to me on the mountain, and it would be wrong to bring it into a city full of men. What if the same thing happens…?" Will stopped his explanation as Boromir pulled his arm free and shoved past the blacksmith in irritation. The Gondorian stalked through the camp and headed off along the river's edge, not wanting to be near any of them at that moment.

"Boromir! I am sorry!" Will called after his friend, but the man just ignored him as he stopped and stared out at the water. Sighing, Will moved back over to the fire and sat down next to Jack as the pirate munched on a sausage.

"We did the right thing. If we went with him to Gondor it would be a disaster and you know it, mate." Jack said softly when he noticed Will still staring at Boromir.

Will nodded and slid down off the log and onto the log, leaning back against it for support. "I know. It would be the end of their world."

"And we fight, not just for their future, but for ours." added Jack. Will didn't answer him as he stared at the patterns made by the flames of the fire. He knew what Jack meant. If Sauron got the Ring back, it would mean the end of the world of men, and the people and the world that they both knew and loved would never exist. That had been the reason that they had decided to reject the Lady's offer to send them home. They weren't just fighting for their new friends, but for the future that they wanted to come.

After several minutes, Jack paused in mid-chew when he felt a weight press against his leg. Looking down, he realized that it was Will's head that was pressed against his leg. The blacksmith had fallen asleep and was using Jack as a pillow. Putting his plate down, Jack carefully took Will by the shoulders and slowly lowered him to the ground, covering the younger man with his cloak.

Jack sighed as he studied his young friend's face. Will was so like his father. A shadow of sorrow passed over the pirate's face as he thought about his former best friend, Bootstrap Bill. Jack picked up his plate again and continued his meal as his thoughts drifted off to memories of his home and the sea that he loved so much.

The night passed slowly, and around three in the morning, when Jack's watch was over, Boromir finally returned to camp. Jack watched the other man as he walked over to his sleeping place. It was obvious that the Gondorian was still pissed off over the argument from earlier. Jack smiled at him, but Boromir's scowl only deepened, which was something that Jack wouldn't have believed possible if he hadn't seen it.

Finally getting up from his seat, Jack made his way over to where Aragorn and Legolas were sleeping. The two friends were lying back to back as they always did, drawing comfort and familiarity from each other's presence.

Jack knelt down and shook Aragorn's shoulder. "Aragorn…"

The ranger's answer was a groan and a half-hearted attempt to swat the pirate away. "No…sleep." the ranger moaned.

Jack rolled his eyes. It was always like hell trying to wake the ranger up. "No, time for you to take the watch, savvy?" he replied as he shook the ranger again. Jack's voice, soft as it had been, nevertheless woke Legolas.

The prince sat up and yawned. "I'll take his watch, Jack. Let him sleep." Legolas said as he stood and dusted himself off. Jack just shrugged as Legolas picked up his bow and quiver and moved around the fire to where the pirate had been sitting during his watch.

Too lazy and tired to actually get back to his feet and go to his own bedroll, Jack just crawled around Aragorn and took over Legolas' bed, falling asleep almost immediately when his head hit the pillow.

Will yawned as awareness again took hold of his consciousness. He didn't open his eyes immediately, but instead lay where he was and listened to the sound of the swift-moving river that was nearby and the chirping of birds. He stayed like that for quite a while until he finally sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to chase the last remnants of sleep away.

"It took you long enough." a voice commented.

Opening his eyes, Will came face to face with Jack, who was smiling down at him from his seat on the log. "I didn't think you were ever going to get up."

Will just laughed as he got to his feet and looked around, noticing immediately that the camp had been packed up and that the other members of the Fellowship were repacking the boats. "Why did you let me oversleep?" he asked Jack around another yawn.

"Aragorn said to let you sleep, although you did miss breakfast." Jack said as he unwrapped a piece of the _lembas_ bread, tossing it to Will. "We did save you a plate, but after ten minutes Pippin and Sam decided that you weren't getting up, so they ate it behind our backs."

Will just smiled and took a bite of the elvish bread. "It's alright. This will do." The bread was quite good, and Will smiled in satisfaction. He went to take another bite, but stopped with the bread halfway to his mouth.

"What's wrong mate?" Jack asked when he saw the face that Will was making as he looked at the _lembas_.

"I suppose that we can't make fun of Legolas anymore. He was right, one bite is enough to fill your stomach." the blacksmith replied, pocketing what was left of the piece in case he got hungry later. "I guess I should go and help them finish packing the boats."

"Go ahead mate. I'm going to check around and make sure that we didn't forget anything." Jack said. The pirate stood and moved off around the fire, his eyes carefully looking for anything that someone might have dropped.

Will fastened his cloak back around his neck and walked up to where Aragorn was standing near the boats. "Can I help with anything?"

Aragorn sighed as he thought. "You could check and make sure that we didn't forget anything."

Will pointed over to Jack. "He's already taking care of it. Is there anything else?"

"Well, if you feel like braving it, you could see if Boromir needs any help." the ranger replied flatly as he nodded in the other man's direction. Will realized that Aragorn and Boromir were still not on speaking terms with each other after the fight from the night before.

Nodding and not saying anything more, Will turned and walked over to Boromir, coming up behind the older man. "Boromir?"

The Gondorian paused in mid-step and looked over his shoulder to see Will trailing him. Sighing, he handed the bag he was carrying to Pippin before turning to face the blacksmith. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Come to lecture me again?" he asked, his voice cold.

Will blinked, uncertain about that remark, knowing quite well that he hadn't lectured the other man the night before. He stared at Boromir for a long moment, trying to decide how to answer the man, and then blinked again and took a closer look at his friend. There was something different about Boromir's eyes that hadn't been there before, and Will wasn't sure what to make of this. He fidgeted slightly, as the odd look in the other man's eyes was deeply disturbing.

"I didn't mean to insult you last night, Boromir. I'm just trying to do what I think is best for everyone, whether you believe me or not." Will said, straightening his stance and looking the other man directly in the eyes, even though a strange chill ran down the blacksmith's spine.

Boromir just stared at him, his face still blank, until he finally smiled ever so slightly. "I believe you, and if you can accept MY apology, I can accept yours."

At this, Will's face broke into a genuinely relived smile. "That I can do, my friend."

Merry and Pippin, who had both been listening to the conversation, looked at each other and sighed in relief, glad that there would be no more fighting, at least between these two anyway.

Jack walked over to the group, informing Aragorn that they had everything. Aragorn nodded and helped Frodo and Sam into one of the boats, while Legolas helped Gimli in to another. Boromir walked over to the boat where Merry and Pippin were waiting, and Jack headed towards Will.

Pippin blinked as he remembered something. "Hey, Jack! You promised to finish the tale of how you and Will met Legolas and Aragorn!"

Jack laughed lightly. "Little master, you always ask at the most inopportune times."

Will snorted a little, remembering all the times that Jack had told him to wait for the "opportune moment."

Pippin began to whine a little, his face begging the pirate. "Please, Jack? I want to hear it! Aragorn was up to the fight that you and Will had when you met."

Jack shrugged. "Can you wait a little longer, mates?" The pirate felt terrible about the looks of disappointment on the hobbits' faces, but they did have to get moving.

"Jack, why don't you take the little ones with you? Will can come with me instead." Boromir suggested, giving the pirate a look that told Jack that the other man had forgiven him.

Jack smirked and nodded, before he turned to Merry and Pippin and told them to hurry up and switch boats, since Aragorn and Legolas were already out in the water waiting for them, and as soon as Will agreed the two hobbits hopped out of the boat, ran up to Boromir and Will and hugged both of them in thanks, then took off towards where the pirate was waiting for them by his boat.

"I think you just made their day." Will said with a smile at the two hobbits. "So, do you want to row, or should I?"

Boromir shrugged. "I don't mind doing it." Grabbing the front of the boat, he pushed the front of the vessel a little further into the water, before hopping in. Once Boromir was settled at the back of the boat, Will got in and they headed off down river.

Later that day…

Will sighed as he let his arm hang down over the side of the boat, his fingers running through the cool water, listening to Legolas telling a part of the story from before he had arrived in the Caribbean, about what had been happening here in Middle-Earth during the time when Aragorn had been trapped in his "dream."

Will was so bored. Not that Legolas' account of things in Middle-Earth wasn't entertaining; it was just that he had other things on his mind. Such as his traveling companion. Carefully looking back at Boromir, Will spotted him again staring over at Aragorn's boat. But his focus wasn't so much on the ranger as it was on Frodo.

Over the course of the day, the man had been doing this more and more, and communicating with the others less and less. Will turned back, his face easily reflecting his worry. He had noticed that the disturbing look in Boromir's eyes had actually intensified. Will's concern for his friend had also increased, and he wished that he knew what was really going on in the man's mind. But one thing that he did know was that it would amount to no good.

Aragorn meanwhile was staring straight ahead, down the river. "Behold the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings!" he called out when he spied the two great statues, standing on either side of the canyon walls, creating a narrow gap for the boats to pass between them. Noticing this, Aragorn directed the others to line the boats up and pass single file, while holding the boats to the middle of the river.

"And what's got you in such a pleasant mood, mate?" Jack asked from the next boat over as he noticed Aragorn smiling as he looked up at the statues as they drew closer.

"Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old, my kin." Aragorn replied as they continued to float swiftly towards the statues.

The rest of the Fellowship looked up in awe at the majestic statues, carved right out of the rock, proudly standing on each side of the Anduin. Their left arms were held aloft, palms facing open in a gesture of warning. Solemn and stern were their faces, the silent wardens of a long vanished kingdom.

Once the four boats had made it past the Argonath, they continued to paddle until the roaring Falls of Rauros were in sight. Then they turned and headed in towards the western bank, steering the boats onto the shore. Jack looked over at Boromir as Merry and Pippin climbed out of the boat. The Gondorian's face was troubled and pale, and he gripped the sides of the boat as if he was fighting something back.

Jack knew exactly what was going on, it was what he had asked the Lady Galadriel about back in Lothlorien, when Will had left to go and rejoin the Fellowship. After Will had pulled away from the mirror, new images had begun to appear, meant for Jack's eyes only. He had seen Boromir's attempt to take the Ring from Frodo, in these very woods. And he had seen the results of that attempt, which was Frodo fleeing and leaving the Fellowship. He had asked the Lady about stopping the confrontation, and she had advised against it. She had told Jack that this was Frodo's task and his alone, and that even this had to unfold. As much as he hated the order, Jack figured that the Lady knew what she was talking about, and when he saw Frodo enter the woods, followed a few minutes later by Boromir, Jack did not follow them. Instead, he stayed behind and helped with camp chores.

But Jack wasn't the only one who had observed Boromir's departure. Will waited a few moments, and when no one was looking he took the opportunity, picking up his sword and silently trying to follow the man and the hobbit. But since the other two had gone before him, he was forced to try and track their movements. Will sent up a quick prayer of thanks for the fact that he had asked Aragorn for some lessons in tracking earlier in their journey, which was surprisingly something that Will had proven to be very good at. Aragorn had even told Will that he was one of the quickest and best learners in the art of tracking that he had ever had the privilege to teach.

Back on the shore…

Aragorn leaned into his boat and grabbed the extra blankets. When he turned back to face the others, he gave them the very condensed version of the course that he had decided to set in their journey to Mordor. "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." As he finished speaking he tossed the blankets down next to the fire. He looked back up when he heard Gimli's gruff voice.

"Oh yes? It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks! And after that it gets even better!" the dwarf said sarcastically. Pippin looked up from his food, alarmed, as the dwarf continued, "Festering, stinking marshlands, as far as the eye can see!"

Jack groaned. "No more marshes Strider! I've had enough of them to last me a lifetime!"

"So have I." Pippin added. He had tripped and fallen in the muck not long after Aragorn had tripped Jack. The other hobbits agreed with Jack and Pippin as they also remembered the journey through the Midgewater Marshes.

"That is our road. I suggest that you take some rest and recover your strength." Aragorn replied.

Pippin and Jack didn't care about the remark, looking forward to resting for the remainder of the day, but Gimli huffed and acted insulted, grumbling under his breath. "Recover my… pfff!"

Legolas made a face as he turned and walked over to Aragorn. He had been watching the woods and he knew that something was very wrong, and that things were not going to stay peaceful for long. "We should leave now." he said in an undertone.

Aragorn just shook his head. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness."

Legolas cringed slightly, looking back into the trees again. He shivered a tiny bit as he was hit by a feeling that made his blood run cold. "It is not the eastern shore which worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near…I can feel it!" he told his friend, trying to get his point across to the ranger subtly so as not to panic the others unnecessarily.

Aragorn blinked in surprise at the urgency he heard in the elf's voice. In all the years that he had known Legolas, the elf's instincts had never been wrong. Because he was an elf, he could sense evil as clearly as he could see the stars, and Aragorn had learned to trust his friend's judgment. Placing a hand on the prince's shoulder, he was about to ask how long Legolas had been sensing this when he heard Merry say something far more disturbing.

"Where's Frodo?"

Sam, who had been dozing in the shade of an ancient, crumbling statue, roused with a start as Aragorn looked over the camp. The ranger's gaze stopped on Boromir's shield lying with his baggage.

Jack then realized who else was missing. "Where's Will?" he shouted as he hopped to his feet. He should have known to watch Will more closely. Who knew what would happen if the blacksmith got involved in the middle of Frodo and Boromir's fight.

"Split up and try to find them!" Aragorn ordered, slightly panicked as he grabbed his sword. He turned to Pippin, Merry and Sam. "Stay here and wait for us! Do not leave this camp!"


	16. Chapter 16

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 16**

_In the forest…_

Boromir watched from a little further up the hill as Frodo ascended a small stone staircase and looked around at an immense stone head, long aged and lying on its side in the dirt. Once he had decided how he was going to approach the hobbit, Boromir shifted the bundle of wood in his arms and walked towards Frodo, still picking up pieces of wood as he went.

As he came up on the hobbit, he spoke, making Frodo aware of his presence. "None of us should wander alone, you least of all. So much depends on you. Frodo?" Boromir asked when he saw the hobbit studying him, but then turning away. Boromir took a deep breath, deciding that it was now or never, and took a few steps towards Frodo.

"I know why you seek solitude. You suffer. I see it day by day. Are you sure that you do not suffer needlessly?" He saw that Frodo was watching him carefully apparently listening to what he was saying. "There are other ways, Frodo, other paths that we might take." As he spoke, he was fighting against the growing violent urge to get the Ring, staying as calm and friendly as possible.

Frodo, however, had been warned by Lady Galadriel about Boromir trying to take the Ring, so needless to say he wasn't buying it. "I know what you would say, and it would seem like wisdom, but for the warning in my heart."

"Warning? Against what?" Boromir asked curiously, seeming almost amused. He moved closer to Frodo, his eyes growing more desperate as the pull of the Ring grew stronger, despite his efforts to fight it. "We're all afraid Frodo. But to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have; don't you see that is madness?!" he asked, the hobbit as Frodo began to back away from him slowly.

"There is no other way!" Frodo tried to stress to the man. That did it. Boromir could no longer fight the pull of the Ring, and felt himself losing control. He threw the wood down to the ground.

"I ask only for the strength to defend my people!" he cried, hints of frustration and rage clouding his voice.

Meanwhile, Will had still been following the trail left by the hobbit and man, when he heard Boromir's voice through the trees ahead. Moving with all the stealth that he possessed, the blacksmith crept towards the voices and hid behind a tree, peering out from around the trunk. His eyes widened at the sight that met his eyes. Frodo was backing nervously away from Boromir, and Will could see that the man was getting desperate. He listened intently to the increasingly heated conversation.

"If you would but lend me the Ring!" Boromir asked, stretching out a hand as if he expected Frodo to hand the chain he wore around his neck over. Instead, Frodo backed up rapidly, staring at Boromir with wide eyes. Boromir paused for only a moment at the hobbit's reaction before he spoke again, his voice now sounding hurt. "Why do you recoil? I am no thief!"

"You are not yourself." Frodo countered softly.

Boromir's eyes were wild now as he stared at the Ringbearer. "What chance do you think you have? They will find you! They will take the Ring! And you will beg for death before the end!"

Will cringed at these words, and Frodo frowned at the other man, though his eyes were full of pity and sadness, with just a hint of fear, and turned to go back in the direction of the camp. He knew he needed to get out of here as soon as possible, but Lady Galadriel had also told him that he was meant to do this alone, because otherwise the Ring would slowly destroy the rest of the Fellowship.

By now Boromir's desire was completely unchecked, and his rage exploded as he saw Frodo turn and walk away from him, the action reminding him of the previous night when Aragorn had also turned away from him. Boromir hissed. "You fool!" He began to chase Frodo, and the hobbit turned and saw Boromir following him. He backpedaled desperately, but Boromir was already on top of him. "It is not yours, save by an unhappy chance. It could have been mine! It should be mine! Give it to me!" Boromir yelled as he dove at the Ringbearer, tackling him to the ground.

As soon as the two hit the ground, Will burst out from behind his tree and lunged at Boromir, wrapping his strong arms around the man's waist as he tried to drag the man away from Frodo. On his fourth attempt he succeeded, and Boromir gave a cry of surprise as he was ripped off the hobbit. He fell onto his back and slid several feet down the hill, landing half on the ground and half on top of Will, who yelled and struggled to free himself as Boromir cursed and grabbed for him.

Will got to his feet and placed himself between the man and Frodo, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Boromir slowly got to his own feet, and gave Will a look that sent a chill running through his body. The look in his eyes let the blacksmith know that he wasn't dealing with his friend anymore, but instead a man possessed, as the Ring had finally taken complete control.

"Get out of my way, Will." Boromir demanded, but the blacksmith stood his ground.

"No, I cannot let you do this." Will responded calmly, but warily.

Boromir's eyes narrowed as he saw Will's hand resting on his sword. The Gondorian decided that he wasn't going to be stopped by some boy who thought that he was a swordsman. He hadn't even fought an orc before Moria.

Boromir unsheathed his sword. "The Ring will be mine, make no mistake about that out-worlder." Boromir said even more menacingly, his fair and pleasant face darkening with an evil smirk as Will's eyes betrayed the hurt he felt at being called an out-worlder by his friend.

Will took a deep breath, trying to push aside the pain he felt at the Gondorian's choice of words. What hurt was not the word out-worlder itself, for that was true. No, it was the way the man said it, with loathing in his voice, speaking it like it was a vulgar curse. The blacksmith then realized that there was nothing he could do for his friend, but he could do something for Frodo, and that was protecting him as he had sworn to do.

Will squared his jaw and drew his own sword, pointing it at Boromir. "And I will do everything in my power to protect Frodo, like I promised."

Boromir actually laughed, he couldn't believe Will was actually fool enough to challenge him. He tried to sidestep the blacksmith, but Will wasn't falling for it, and moved right along with him, again blocking him from reaching Frodo, who was cowering behind Will. "Fine, have it your way, blacksmith." Boromir said, backing up a few paces and twirling his sword skillfully.

Will widened his stance and gripped his sword tighter, waiting for Boromir to make the first move against him. He didn't have long to wait before the man came at him full force, delivering blow after blow, moving so fast that Will barely had time to deflect them. Will quickly realized that he had to get Frodo to safety before he could devote his full attention to the fight. Once the hobbit was out of the way, he would be free to maneuver more freely without having to watch out for Frodo.

"Frodo, get back to the camp NOW!" Will yelled as he dove to the side in order to avoid Boromir's blade, rolling to his feet swiftly and catlike. "Find Aragorn, Legolas, or Jack and send them here!"

Frodo listened to his protector and took off running as Boromir slammed into Will with his shoulder, completely throwing him off balance, which Will had been trying to gain back from his dive and roll. The years of dead leaves on the ground made the already steep hill slippery, and Will fell to his knees.

Boromir looked up from the fight and saw Frodo trying to flee the battle. With an enraged roar he ignored Will and sprang off after the hobbit, trying to tackle him again.

Will lunged back to his feet, slipping slightly on the leaves, but he regained his balance and dove on top of Boromir again, knocking them both off balance and sending them tumbling down the hill, in a tangle of arms, legs, and swords. As they hit the ground, Will ended up on the top, but Boromir quickly twisted out of the blacksmith's grip and reversed the situation so that he was on top of Will, pinning the blacksmith down, his face twisted with hate.

Will's eyes went wide, not certain if Boromir was crazed enough to actually kill him. With strength born of desperation, he lashed out and stuck Boromir hard across the face, then twisted in the man's grip and managed to get out from underneath the older man, trying to regain the upper hand. As he tried to maneuver so that he had Boromir pinned to the ground again, he suddenly gave a cry of pain and leaped backwards off the Gondorian, his left hand coming up to clasp his right shoulder.

Lifting his hand slightly, he saw that it was covered in blood and realized that he had gotten cut by Boromir's sword while they were fighting. Clasping his hand back down over the cut to try and stop the bleeding, he rose to his feet slowly, watching Boromir intently to see what the other man was going to do next.

Boromir got to his feet and licked the blood away from the corner of his mouth, a result of Will's punch. He eyed Will, and then lunged towards the blacksmith unexpectedly. Will was ready for him however and sidestepped out of the way at the last second. Boromir's miss threw him badly off balance and he slipped and fell on the leaves, sliding several feet away from Will and coming to a stop.

Will watched and waited for Boromir to get back to his feet, but this time the man didn't. He laid there for several moments, before he finally raised his head and locked eyes with Will, who sighed in relief as he noticed that all the hate and rage was gone from his eyes. In place of the volatile emotions were sorrow, confusion, and regret.

Will's eyes also mirrored Boromir's sorrow. He wasn't sure how he could take pity on Boromir so easily, but that was what he was feeling at that moment. He knew he would be asked how he could feel that way, after Boromir had attacked Frodo, attacked Will himself, and tried to claim the Ring for his own. Will knew that if Jack hadn't pulled his hand away from the Ring on Caradhras, he would have claimed the Ring for himself. That was why he could not feel any anger or loathing towards Boromir at this moment, but rather understanding and sorrow for the fact that this had had to happen. However, on his mind was the same thought that was undoubtedly crossing through Boromir's mind. How would the others react to this?

Aragorn quickened his pace; he had finally picked up on Frodo's trail. He followed it until it led to the top of Amon Hen, which was crowned with the ruins of an old tower, upon which sat a stone seat flanked by two majestic stone eagles. As the ranger got closer, his keen eyes spotted the hobbit seated on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

"Frodo?" Aragorn spoke, trying to figure out why the hobbit would have run all the way up here without telling them. At the sound of his voice, Frodo leaped to his feet and whirled around, staring at the ranger with wide, frightened eyes. He was obviously shaken by something.

"It has taken Boromir." Frodo said softly.

Aragorn's eyes went wide when he realized that the Ring had finally corrupted Boromir. "Where is the Ring?" he asked harshly, the tone of his voice and the intensity causing Frodo to back away in fright.

"Stay away!" Frodo yelled as he took refuge beneath the ruins.

Aragorn followed the hobbit, confusion on his face. "Frodo! I swore to protect you." he called as he came to a stop a good ten paces away from the Ringbearer.

Frodo turned, fixing Aragorn with a serious look. "Can you protect me from yourself?" he asked softly, holding out his hand and opening it so that Aragorn could see the Ring sitting in the palm of his hand. Aragorn felt himself tense at this first look at the Ring since the Council. "Would you destroy it?" Frodo asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Aragorn took a step forward, listening as the Ring called his name. He moved forward a little bit more, closing the distance between himself and Frodo and reached out, his hand hovering over the hobbit's outstretched palm as the Ring called him again. This time it used the name that Galadriel had given him, Elessar. The ranger's breath caught as he realized how close he was to taking the Ring. Frodo's eyes were wide as he watched Aragorn.

Kneeling down, he gently closed his hand over Frodo's and curled the hobbit's fingers around the Ring, hiding it from sight, before he gently pushed Frodo's hand back against his chest. "I'm sorry, Frodo." Aragorn murmured his eyes downcast.

Frodo just nodded sadly. "I know."

Aragorn's head shot up suddenly as something occurred to him. "You said it had taken Boromir. What happened Frodo?"

"He went mad, Aragorn. He tried to take the Ring from me by force, but Will stopped him and told me to come and find you, Jack, or Legolas."

Aragorn nodded, wanting him to continue, but then his eyes fixed on Sting. There was a faint blue light coming out of the scabbard. Frowning, he scrambled to his feet and unsheathed his sword, but his gaze still stayed on Sting. "Frodo, get back to camp!"

Frodo looked back at Aragorn, confused, until he pulled Sting out of the scabbard partially; finally seeing what had alarmed Aragorn.

"Run! Get back to camp now!" Aragorn called urgently as he looked back over his shoulder.

Frodo hesitated only for a moment before he turned and fled. Aragorn, meanwhile, made his way out from underneath the ruins and into the open, finding a large troop of Uruk-Hai quickly advancing on him. He strode towards them, and half smiled at the slight swagger he noticed in his walk. He had definitely spent too much time with Jack. As a few of the Uruk-Hai drew closer, he raised his sword in front of his face, a clear acceptance of their challenge.

_Back at the camp…_

Sam paced impatiently as he waited for everyone to return.

"Why don't you just relax? Strider will find Frodo, Sam." Merry said as the small gardener looked off into the trees again.

"Something is wrong! They should have found him by now!" Sam said, turning to face Merry and Pippin. "I'm not waiting around to find out what's wrong, I'll find Mr. Frodo myself if I have to!"

Pippin jumped to his feet, calling Sam's name as the other hobbit ran off into the woods.

"Merry, come on!" Pippin called to his cousin as he ran in after Sam. Merry wasn't that far behind as they began to make their own search for Frodo.

_In the woods near the camp…_

Will glanced over at Boromir, and then quickly looked away before the older man could notice him. Will winced as a slight, throbbing pain began to spread down his arm from his injured shoulder. The bleeding had stopped a few minutes ago, thankfully. Will reached up and began to carefully massage his shoulder with his left hand, taking care not to start his arm to bleeding again, although the massage did dull the pain slightly.

"I'm sorry Will."

The blacksmith turned towards his friend and smiled. "You've already apologized, Boromir. There is nothing more to forgive."

The Gondorian just looked at Will with a puzzled expression. After all he had just done, he couldn't understand how Will could forgive him so easily. He had attacked both Frodo and Will, injuring the latter, and had nearly claimed the Ring for his own. Will seemed to have read his thoughts as he spoke again.

"I know how you feel. Had Jack not stopped me, I hate to think of what I may have done with the Ring." Will came to a stop and waited until Boromir did as well before he continued. "Someone told me that what had happened to me with the Ring was not my fault that it could have happened to anyone of us. Maybe that someone should listen to himself."

Boromir shook his head as Will passed him, continuing to head for the camp, which wasn't far off now. But when they got back, they found it to be abandoned. "Where could they have gone?" Boromir wondered aloud.

"The probably went out searching for us." Will answered as he began to study the ground, again putting his tracking skills, however slight, to good use. "The hobbits went in a different direction than the others. And their tracks are newer, though not by much."

Boromir came up next to Will and also studied the ground, coming to the same conclusion. "We should follow the hobbits. The others can take care of themselves if trouble comes."

Will agreed and the two men set off into the woods again, eventually coming to follow Merry and Pippin's path.


	17. Chapter 17

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I own nothing blah blah blah...

**Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 17**

_Back on the hill top…_

"Hurry!" Legolas called to Jack and Gimli as they came closer to the ruins. They hadn't been too far away from the top of the hill when Legolas' elf ears had easily picked up the sound of swords clashing, indication that a battle had begun.

All three drew their weapons as they ran out from behind the ruins. Legolas was the first one into the clearing, and he quickly shot an arrow at an Uruk-Hai that was about to attack Aragorn. The ranger was lying on his back on the ground, after having jumped from the top of the ruins onto the backs of some unsuspecting Uruk-Hai, running one of them through with his sword as he landed on the ground, which now lay dead on top of him.

Gimli had pulled one of his smaller throwing axes off of his belt and hurled it at an oncoming Uruk-Hai while Jack had unsheathed his sword, taking on one of Saruman's foul creations. The pirate ducked as his challenger tried to behead him, and then ran him through in retaliation, his blade easily piecing the Uruk's armor.

"Aragorn! Go!" Legolas called as he shot another Uruk-Hai. Jack glanced over and his mouth dropped open in shock as the elf prince grabbed another arrow and stabbed an orc through the eye with it before pulling it out and stringing it on his bow and using it to kill another Uruk by shooting it through its throat.

Aragorn scrambled to his feet and grabbed Jack by the elbow, dragging the pirate with him as he moved back behind the ruins. Jack was almost immediately taken on by two more Uruk-Hai, while Aragorn ran a bit further ahead, sliding in and cutting the legs out from one as it tried to run past him.

_Meanwhile…_

Merry and Pippin sat scrunched under a few fallen trees, a perfect hiding spot until the battle was finished. Looking out, Merry spotted Frodo, who was settled on the ground across from him, his back pressed up against a tree as a few of his pursuers ran by, not noticing him. Once they had passed, Merry and Pippin revealed themselves to him. "Frodo!" Merry called.

Frodo looked to his left and saw his cousins across the way. Pippin was beckoning for him to join them under the fallen trees. "Hide here, quick!" the younger cousin called. Frodo only smiled sadly and shook his head.

Pippin turned to Merry, confusion written all over his face. "What's he doing?"

Merry was frowning with realization; he suddenly understood what Frodo was planning. "He's leaving."

Pippin looked from Merry to Frodo, who only looked at them for a moment before turning away.

"No!" Pippin said as he climbed out from underneath the fallen trees, heading for Frodo, with Merry right behind him, calling his name. Pippin stopped suddenly and looked up the hill, spotting more Uruk-Hai coming towards them. He grabbed Merry by the arm and the older cousin spotted the orcs too. Merry turned back to Frodo.

"Run, Frodo. Go." Merry whispered.

"I don't know how to read this." Will finally admitted to his companion as he tried to follow the tracks made by the two hobbits. He had had some success up to this point, but now the trail was nearly impossible for all but the best to follow as they moved deeper into the woods.

Boromir placed his hand on Will's shoulder. "Don't worry. They have to be nearby." he said reassuringly to the blacksmith. Hobbits walked lightly across the ground, although not to the extent that an elf did, and their tracks were hard for even an experienced ranger like Aragorn to read, so needless to say, Boromir was astonished that Will had even been able to read the tracks as well as he had up to this point. He had long ago given up trying to follow the path made by the hobbits. But they wouldn't need the tracks to follow the two hobbits any longer.

Both men froze as Merry's voice rang out from somewhere ahead of them. "Hey, hey you! Over here!"

Pippin's voice chimed in next. "Hey!"

"Over here!" Merry yelled again. "This way!'

Will and Boromir looked at each other in horror as they heard the sound of armor clanking and inhuman roars, moving off in the same direction that the hobbits' voices were coming from. Neither of them said a word as they both drew their swords and ran off in the direction that the noise was coming from.

_Back on the hill top…_

"What are these things?" Jack asked as he ran yet another Uruk-Hai through with his sword, wishing that he had brought his pistol with him. However, the pistol was still sitting back at camp with his belongings.

No one heard the pirate's question over the noise of the battle except Legolas. "They are the fighting Uruk-Hai, the creations of Saruman!" the elf shouted at Jack as he used his twin daggers to cut through an advancing orc's neck before ducking and spinning, plunging his daggers into the stomach of another Uruk.

_As if orcs weren't bad enough,_ Jack thought to himself as he again ducked to keep from losing his head. Jack side-stepped and retrieved his bow, stringing an arrow and beginning to shoot the advancing Uruk-Hai, relieving himself from the hand to hand combat.

Aragorn bent over to retrieve his hunting knife from a fallen foe, when he heard Jack calling his name in warning. Turning and looking up, he came face to face with an Uruk-Hai, its sword raised and ready to bring it down on the ranger's head. As the blade swung down, there was a resonating clang. Gimli had also heard Jack's warning and had been close enough to use his axe to block the sword coming at Aragorn.

As Gimli drove his axe through the orc's armor, Jack shot another one that was on the opposite side of the pillar that Aragorn was standing next to, trying to give the ranger time to recover himself.

Aragorn nodded to him in thanks before he brought his sword under his arm, stabbing an Uruk-Hai that was about to attack him from behind. Aragorn turned and pulled the sword free, then kicked the dying Uruk away from him.

_Further down the hill…_

As Will and Boromir rounded a tree, they finally spotted Merry and Pippin, standing at the end of an old stone bridge. The two hobbits were standing as still as stone as orcs closed in on them from both sides of the bridge.

As one Uruk raised its battleaxe, ready to bring it down on the two hobbits, Boromir ran forward and thrust his open hand between the hobbits and the axe, catching it by the haft and stopping its forward motion.

Will in the meantime had run up behind Merry and Pippin and was doing his best to kill the Uruk-Hai coming at them from that direction. However, since he was right-handed, his shoulder wound wasn't helping matters. Will gasped as pain shot down his arm again, this time also spreading to encompass his shoulder as he stabbed through an Uruk's thick armor.

As he pulled away from the dying Uruk, Will glanced over his shoulder and spotted Boromir putting his gift from Lady Galadriel to good use, as he flung his dagger and embedded it in the throat of an advancing orc.

Jack silently cursed as he realized that he was once again being separated from the others. He had also begun to notice that the Uruk-Hai were no longer striking to kill, but to disable. Jack side-stepped again as another Uruk lunged at him, and took the opening that was given to him to run back up towards where he could see Legolas, firing arrow after arrow, killing any Uruk-Hai stupid enough to come near him.

Meanwhile, Aragorn was beginning to come to the same conclusion that Jack had come to, as he also noticed the Uruk-Hai striking to disable. This was confirmed in the ranger's mind when his current attacker slammed him back up against a tree and tightened its fist around his throat. Aragorn struggled desperately, but couldn't break the Uruk's grip, even though it was only squeezing hard enough to cut off his air supply, not to break his neck, which Aragorn knew the Uruk-Hai was strong enough to do.

Aragorn began punching desperately at his attacker, but the beast just continued to choke him, no matter what the ranger tried. Aragorn blinked as he began to see spots in front of his eyes, and it was becoming harder and harder to get a full breath as the orc continued to tighten its grip.

The Uruk pulled Aragorn away from the tree suddenly. Aragorn continued to struggle, but his struggles were becoming weaker as his body finally began to react to the lack of oxygen, and he began to go limp. Just as blackness began to swirl at the edge of his vision, the Uruk suddenly let go of him with a roar, and the ranger dropped to the forest floor gasping for breath, trying to fill his depleted lungs.

When Jack had finally made it back up to where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were, the first thing that he had noticed was the Uruk-Hai that was strangling Aragorn. Having used up all of his arrows, Jack took a more direct approach to helping his friend.

Running forward, Jack slammed into the beast from behind, succeeding in knocking it away from the ranger, sending himself and the orc flying off to the side, with Jack landing on top of the orc and rolling off.

Legolas turned to face in Aragorn's direction in time to see what Jack had done, and he watched as Jack slowly got to his feet. The Uruk that Jack had tackled was already up and moving towards the pirate before Jack was on his own feet. Not even thinking twice, Legolas notched another arrow and took aim for only the briefest moments before firing.

Jack yelled and jumped back as Legolas' arrow went whizzing by his face just above his ear and buried itself in the head of the Uruk that was coming up behind him. The pirate turned to Legolas wide-eyed. "You bloody bastard! You almost took my face off! Watch where you're aiming that thing next time!"

"Sorry mellon nin." Legolas replied as he jogged over to Aragorn and helped him back to his feet. "Are you okay, Estel?" he asked.

Aragorn nodded yes and looked over at Jack, about to thank him when a horn rang out through the forest.

"The Horn of Gondor!" Legolas cried in alarm.

"Boromir!" Aragorn cried as he took off down the hill in the direction that the sound was coming from. Legolas and Gimli stayed on the hill while Jack took off after Aragorn, on their way down to aid Will and Boromir. Aragorn didn't get very far before he was forced to stop and fight, but Jack managed to keep going, weaving his way through the Uruks and finding it easier to stay on the outskirts of the group moving down the hill.

Will kicked an Uruk as hard as he could in the back of its knee, bringing the creature down to its knees and then slitting its throat. His shoulder was aching fiercely and had begun to bleed again, but Will just pushed the pain aside as best he could as he continued to fight.

Boromir in the meantime ducked and flipped the beast attacking him over his back before again sounding the Horn of Gondor and looking up the hill, obviously hoping to see one of the other members of the Fellowship coming to their aid. So far though, only more Uruk-Hai were answering the call of the Horn.

"Look! Over there!" Pippin called, pointing off to the slope behind Boromir. Will turned slightly to see where the hobbit was pointing and saw Jack making his way down the hill at a pretty good clip, although he was still some distance away from their battle. Aragorn was further up the slope, fighting his way down the hill. Jack was making better progress because he wasn't stopping to fight.

Boromir let the horn fall away from his lips as he noticed an attacker coming at him from off to his left. He raised his sword and blocked the attack, but before he could strike the orc it fell forward with a cry, a sword protruding from its back. Boromir retrieved the sword and tossed it back to its owner, nodding in thanks as Will caught the sword and turned back to his own battle.

As Will ran another Uruk through, Merry and Pippin leaped forward and tackled another one, leaning forward and stabbing it a few times with their short swords.

"Strider is on his way." Jack said as he finished running the rest of the way to the group, stopping to inform Boromir. The man nodded and looked back in the direction that Jack had come from, only to see dozens of Uruk-Hai swarming down the hill towards them.

"Run! Run!" Boromir called to the others as he began to back up to give himself some more room to maneuver. Will spotted a small grove of trees behind Boromir, which was one direction the Uruk-Hai were not coming from, and herded the hobbits towards it, telling them to stay put. As Will turned and ran back to aid Jack in the killing of an extra-aggressive Uruk, Merry and Pippin found a small cairn of rocks and began throwing them at the advancing Uruk-Hai, bringing several of them down with well-placed throws.

The fighting continued, with Merry and Pippin accounting for almost as many Uruks as the three men, bringing them down and delaying them for long enough so that none of them were mobbed by the beasts. However, all five of them were oblivious to the sight of Lurtz making his way down the hill, keeping to the shadows under the trees.

Will jumped as an Uruk tried to use the flat of its blade to knock his legs out from under him, and as he landed, the blacksmith stabbed downward with his blade and hit the monster in its exposed back. "Have you noticed that they aren't trying to kill us?" Will yelled to Jack. The pirate stabbed another through its chest.

"So you noticed it too?" Jack called back as he spun around and helped another Uruk's head part company with its shoulders. As the beast fell, Jack spotted Lurtz drawing back his bowstring. "Archer on the hill!" he cried to the others in warning.

Boromir was too engrossed in his ongoing fight, and didn't hear Jack's warning. Finally knocking aside the shield of the Uruk that he was fighting, he ran his sword through its armor and stomach.

"Boromir, watch out!" Will called when he noticed Lurtz taking aim at his friend. Boromir turned towards Lurtz just in time to see the Uruk Captain let go of his bowstring, and Boromir's eyes widened as he began to prepare himself for the excruciating pain that he knew was to come. But it never did.

Instead, someone slammed into him, hard enough to knock him off his feet. Boromir landed on his back and looked up immediately, his eyes widening even more and his jaw dropping. "NO!"

Will stood frozen in terror as Jack gasped. The impact of the arrow had knocked the breath out of him, and he collapsed to his knees, grasping the thick, black arrow shaft that protruded from his left shoulder. Jack drew in a deep, shuddering breath and held it, trying to will the pain away, but not having much success. He had been shot before, obviously by bullets, not arrows, but the pain was the same, and in fact the only difference that he could find between the two experiences was the fact that he now had a piece of wood hanging out of his chest.

Will finally recovered from his shock and ran to Jack's side, dropping to his own knees. He took in the situation, the arrow protruding from the pirate's shoulder, and the steady stream of red blood that was flowing from the puncture wound and soaking Jack's shirt, and began to tremble. "Oh God, Jack! I- I don't know wha-what to do!"

"Will, go and help ward them off!" Boromir yelled to shake the younger man out of his terror as he came over to his two friends. "I can help Jack." Will took a deep breath and nodded, getting back to his feet and joining Merry and Pippin in keeping the Uruks back. The fight began to escalate, with Merry and Pippin still throwing rocks with incredible accuracy, and Will began to swing his sword with desperate fervor as he tried to protect the other four single-handedly.

Why did you do that? That arrow was meant for me, not you! I deserved that arrow! Boromir thought as he tried to examine the pirate's wound. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse all too quickly, giving Boromir no time to help the pirate.

Will ducked as a blade came flying at his head, but this time the Uruk used Will's disadvantage against him and brought its knee up into his face. Will stumbled back, but before he could recover and shake the stars out of his vision he was shoved backwards, slamming into a tree. He cried out as the back of his head hit the trunk, and blackness quickly rushed in and swept him away.

As the blacksmith went limp, the Uruk that had knocked him out grabbed him and flung him over his shoulder before running off. Boromir looked up when he saw Merry and Pippin run out of the trees with swords drawn, charging at the Uruk that held Will.

"Jack, run away from here as fast as you possibly can. Try to get to Aragorn, he can help you." Boromir said, hoisting the pirate to his feet. "Go, now!" Jack nodded and began to try to head out of the area, but he since he was injured, he quickly became an easy target and was seized and flung over another Uruk's shoulder, the motion jarring his arrow wound, the arrow still embedded in his shoulder, and he screamed and passed out.

Boromir was unaware of this as he charged after the two hobbits. They had been seized by two more of Saruman's minions, and were being carried away. The Gondorian attacked the one holding Merry, and the Uruk was forced to put the hobbit on the ground in order to defend itself.

Boromir placed himself between the hobbit and the Uruk as a shield, and the two clashed swords. The fight was intense but brief as the Uruk finally managed to twist its sword suddenly during one of the clashes of the weapons, catching the guard on Boromir's blade and ripping it free of his grip. Mustering all of its strength, the Uruk swung, smashing Boromir on the left side of his face with its armored fist and the handle of its sword, causing the Gondorian to drop to the ground, out cold.

Lurtz made his way down off of the hill as his underlings ran out of the area with the prizes that they had been ordered to retrieve. The captain of the Uruk-Hai came to a stop next to Boromir, who was lying on the ground where he had fallen, moaning slightly in pain as he started to come around, though he was unaware of anything else except the pain he was in.

Lurtz snarled and retrieved and arrow from the quiver strapped to his hip. This man was not a ranger, and he intended to follow through on the other order Saruman had given him, to kill the others. As he drew back on the bowstring, Boromir's eyes finally opened even though they were a mere slit. The Gondorian's head turned towards Lurtz and stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes and passing out again.

Aragorn had finally managed to break away from the Uruk-Hai, convincing them that he wasn't worth the trouble of trying to disable and take as a prisoner. Now he came down into the clearing where Will, Jack, and Boromir had made their stand, protecting Merry and Pippin.

His eyes took in the sight in front of him. Boromir was lying on the ground, and an Uruk captain stood over him, about to shoot the man. The ranger silently made his way over to the Uruk, and with a cry, flung himself at the beast, knocking the captain off its feet and sending them both crashing to the ground, the loaded missile flying off harmlessly into the woods.

Aragorn rolled as he hit the ground, trying to get some distance between him and Lurtz so that he would have time to get to his feet. Once they were both up again, they charged at each other, slamming their swords together, their faces a foot apart. Lurtz growled and gathered his strength, then thrust upwards, pushing Aragorn away from him.

Aragorn stumbled backwards and finally came to a stop as he slammed into a tree, the impact being enough to loosen his grip on his sword. Before he could recover, Lurtz threw his two-pronged shield at the ranger, the prongs biting deeply into the tree on either side of Aragorn, pinning him by his neck to the tree, and causing Aragorn's sword to fly out of his hand as he began trying to pry the shield free.

Aragorn's eyes went wide and he struggled to free himself as the Uruk raised its sword and began to approach the ranger, ready to behead him. But, before he could land the blow, literally at the last second as a matter of fact, Aragorn managed to pry the shield away from the tree far enough that he could free himself. He ducked beneath the shield and the sword blade bit into the wood of the tree instead of his flesh.

Almost immediately, Aragorn punched the Uruk-Hai in the stomach, and in response, the captain somehow managed to seize the ranger and flip him over and out of the way. Lurtz stalked after the ranger again and brought his sword down, but Aragorn managed to dodge it again as he rolled away. He pulled out the hunting knife that Celeborn had given him, and stabbed it into the Uruk's thigh.

Lurtz roared in anger and pain before punching Aragorn in the face. Aragorn tried to roll away again, but since he was slightly dazed, Lurtz hobbled after him and caught him again, this time lifting the ranger to his feet before head-butting him and tossing him aside like it was nothing.

Aragorn landed on his stomach and rolled slightly down the hill, coming to a stop next to his sword. The ranger blinked the haze out of his eyes and grasped the hilt, looking back up at Lurtz. The Uruk snarled at him as he pulled the sword out of his leg, licking the black blood off of it. Aragorn made a face at this, glad that he had gotten his sword back, and thanking the Valar for it. Lurtz flung the dagger at the ranger, but Aragorn knocked it away with the sword.

Getting up, he closed in on the Uruk-Hai, who had also regained his own sword. They fought in a flurry until one of his blocks threw Lurtz's momentum off and Aragorn was able to cut his arm off on the next stroke. The Uruk looked startled and Aragorn took that moment to stab him in the stomach. The resilient captain grasped Aragorn's blade with his remaining hand and pushed the blade in deeper, pulling himself closer to Aragorn as he did so, before snarling in the ranger's face, defiantly.

Aragorn grimaced and pulled his sword free; swinging it wide once it was free of the injured monster, and slicing forward to cut Lurtz's head off. The rest of the Uruk's body collapsed to the ground a moment later. Aragorn let his arms drop to his sides, his chest heaving from the exertion, and ran over to where Boromir was laying.

The man was still lying in the same spot that he had been when Aragorn had leaped onto Lurtz and the steady rise and fall of his chest let Aragorn know that he was still alive. Aragorn dropped to his knees beside Boromir and began to look him over. He had a nasty gash under his left eyebrow from being hit with such force. Blood was already covering the left side of his face, and his eyes were beginning to turn black and blue.

"Aragorn!"

The ranger turned at the sound of his name, and saw Legolas and Gimli jogging up, although the dwarf was lagging a bit behind. Legolas paused for the briefest of moments as he took in the scene in front of him, before hurrying to Aragorn's side. The elf prince looked down and studied Boromir more closely, before sinking to his own knees gracefully. Gimli came up and studied their fallen comrade for a moment as well.

"Gimli, would you be so kind as to look around and see if you can find out what happened to Jack and Will?" Aragorn asked. Gimli nodded and wandered off to look for any signs of their missing companions.

Legolas leaned a bit closer to Boromir, studying the gash on his face. "I think that cut may need to be closed."

Aragorn nodded in agreement, having already noticed this. Legolas reached forward and carefully probed around the gash, trying to determine if the bone around it had been fractured. The elf's touch was light, as he barely touched the wound, although it was hard enough for Legolas to easily sense any fractures.

Boromir groaned at the touch, showing signs that he was slowly regaining consciousness, and Legolas quickly pulled back to avoid causing the man any more pain. "You're probably going to have to drug him, Estel." Legolas said softly.

Aragorn was about to say something caught a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye. He looked towards it and saw Boromir's sword lying a few feet from the man. Getting up and going over to retrieve it, he found that it had been broken into two pieces near the hilt, a result of being stepped on by the heavy-footed orcs. The ranger retrieved both pieces and brought them over, and Legolas took them and wrapped them carefully in a cloth so they wouldn't be lost, then slipped them into his quiver.

Gimli came up then, his arms laden with several weapons. Aragorn turned to him with a slight frown as he knelt back down next to Boromir. The dwarf's face was grim. "What have you got there, Gimli? Did you find anything?"

Gimli shook his head. "As best I can tell, they were taken by the Uruks." he said sadly as he handed the weapons to Aragorn. The ranger carefully began to separate the pile, easily recognizing the swords belonging to Jack and Will, along with Boromir's dagger, the one that had been a gift from Galadriel.

"Merry and Pippin were taken as well." Aragorn noted, picking up the small blade that he had given Pippin so long ago on Weathertop.

Legolas turned and stood, walking a few steps away to give Aragorn room, before he unbuckled his quiver and reached inside it, pulling out the small parcel of healing supplies that he had gotten into the habit of carrying since he had met Aragorn. All of Aragorn's healing supplies were down by the boats, so what Legolas had was all that the ranger had to work with. He handed the bag to Aragorn, along with his water flask.

The ranger went to work, pulling a rag out of his coat pocket and soaking it in the water, carefully beginning to clean the blood off of Boromir's face so he could see the gash better. He handed the bag to Legolas, instructing him on which herbs he needed to mix in order to make up the drug that he had now used on Jack a few times. Legolas knew a bit about healing, but because Elrond was Aragorn's father, the ranger was much better in these matters than Legolas.

"Gimli, can you help me with this?" Legolas asked. The dwarf came over to see if he could help the elf, while Aragorn continued to clean Boromir's face. Boromir groaned again, and this time his eyes opened. He squinted in the light, trying to figure out what was going on, but the pain in his head made him gasp.

"Peace, Boromir! Relax, and the pain will ebb a little." Aragorn murmured, dropping his hands to Boromir's shoulders to prevent him from moving.

"Aragorn? What…?" Boromir started to ask, relaxing as the ranger requested. Suddenly, everything that had happened in the past half hour came rushing back to him and he tensed, trying to sit up, but the ranger pushed him back, pinning him in place.

"Be still!" Aragorn commanded, and Boromir subsided, his head spinning wildly.

"Where are Will and Jack?" Boromir asked, turning his head just enough to see Legolas and Gimli a few feet away. There was no sign of the other two however, nor of Merry and Pippin. "Where are the little ones?"

Aragorn was silent, trying to figure out a way to break the news that the four he asked about had been captured gently.

"Aragorn?" Boromir asked again. "Where are they?" The ranger still didn't answer.


	18. Chapter 18

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 18_

The ranger's continued silence was starting to make Boromir panic. "Aragorn, please! What happened?"

Aragorn lowered his gaze back to the ground. "Boromir, I'm afraid that they were taken." The fact that the two hobbits had been taken prisoner along with Jack and Will hadn't fully sunk in yet, but as he spoke the words, it became a reality to the ranger. Boromir gazed up at him as the ranger's words registered, his face reflecting Aragorn's own pain and sorrow. Suddenly Boromir began struggling to sit up again.

"Boromir! You must be still!" Aragorn said urgently as he tried to push the man back down. This time however, the Gondorian wouldn't listen.

Boromir's tone easily gave away his stress as he struggled against the ranger. "Aragorn, Jack was hurt, and badly! Please! I have to tell you what happened!"

Aragorn's heart clenched at the thought of his dear pirate friend being hurt, but he didn't let that show on his face as he pushed Boromir back again. "I'm sure whatever happened can be told lying down."

Legolas came jogging up to them, holding a cloth soaked in the sleeping drug that he had prepared for Aragorn. As the ranger held the struggling man still, Legolas placed the cloth over Boromir's mouth and nose, holding it in place until the man breathed in enough of it to send him into unconsciousness. "It will have to wait, my friend." Legolas said softly. "Right now your wounds must be tended to."

Boromir's eyes began to slide closed, and as soon as Aragorn felt the man relax, he settled the Gondorian back onto the ground again. He looked the man over carefully before turning to his friend. "Legolas, please bring me what I need to close that cut. When I am finished we'll get him down to the boats."

Legolas nodded and moved back to where he had left the healing supplies. Meanwhile, Gimli came back over to look at their companion. "Why don't you just take him down to the boats first?"

Aragorn smiled somewhat sadly. "He shouldn't be moved yet, Gimli. It's likely that he'll wake up on the way back, and I don't want to have to drug him again. He's still somewhat weak from this wound, and he probably wouldn't respond well to a second dose." He turned towards Gimli. "Better to be safe than sorry."

"I think I have everything you need." Legolas said, coming over with the requested items.

Aragorn looked at what the prince handed him, and nodded in approval. He handed the cloth to Legolas. "Can you try to clean the wound a little bit more mellon nin? We need to be certain that it won't get infected once I close it, and the better we clean it now, the safer he will be from that."

Legolas nodded and began carefully cleaning away the blood and any dirt that might have passed from the orc's weapon to the cut. Aragorn was right. It would be very bad if Boromir developed an infection from this cut because they didn't take the proper steps to prevent it. Meanwhile, Aragorn threaded a small needle with some nearly invisible thread.

"Legolas, turn his head a bit to the right so I can see the wound better, please." Aragorn said once the cut had been cleaned to his satisfaction. Once Legolas had Boromir's head tilted so that the light fell on the jagged cut, Aragorn bent over and went to work. As he worked he called to Gimli. "Master Dwarf, would you please keep an eye on him and tell me if he shows any signs of waking?"

Gimli agreed and moved to where he could see the man clearly, watching intently for any sign that Boromir was waking. Thankfully, Boromir didn't and Aragorn was finished quickly, tying off the last of the eight stitches before he spoke again.

The ranger sat back on his heels studying his handiwork. "Those are likely going to have to stay in for longer than the usual two weeks. That cut was serious."

Legolas laughed as he cleaned away some more of the now dried blood away from the wound. "They will likely be driving him out of his mind by then, Estel." Legolas spoke from experience, having had to have stitches put in by Elrond in the past.

"We need to get back to the boats. Frodo and Sam should be waiting there for us." Aragorn finally said.

"So you did find him. Was he alright?" Gimli asked with relief upon hearing that the missing Ringbearer had indeed been found.

Aragorn smiled. "Yes." was his simple answer. Of course there was more to it, but he would have to wait and let that go for the time being, especially considering that he barely knew what had happened. It would be up to Boromir and Frodo to retell that tale.

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Back at the camp…

Frodo stood on the shoreline, staring out at the water, the Ring held in his open hand. He was reflecting on everything that the Lady Galadriel had said to him in Lothlorien. This was his task, and his alone.

The hobbit looked up from the water, tears beginning to pool and fall from his eyes. He didn't want to do this alone. He cast his eyes down again as he remembered something else that she had said. *One by one it will destroy them all.* The words suddenly had new meaning to him, especially after the confrontation with Boromir. She had been right. He wouldn't be safe with the others for long. Who was to say that Will or even Aragorn would be able to resist the Ring a second time?

Frodo closed his eyes tightly as the confrontation with Boromir played out in his mind again. He realized that those three; Will, Aragorn, and Boromir, were all examples of what would surely happen to Jack, Legolas, or even Sam and his cousins. The Ringbearer didn't want to see that happen.

*I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish that none of this had ever happened.* Frodo thought as he looked back up and to the eastern shoreline. The hobbit's breath caught as he remembered what Gandalf had said to him in Moria.

*So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you.* the wizard's words echoed in his mind and with that, Frodo felt a new surge of determination rise in him. Closing his hand back around the Ring, he decided that he wasn't going to be the downfall of the people or things that he loved, but their savior. He slipped the Ring back into his shirt pocket and marched down the bank towards the boats.

He picked up his pack as he passed the camp and tossed it into one of the boats, then grabbed the edge of the boat and pushed it a bit farther into the water before hopping in and picking up an oar and beginning to paddle towards the opposite shore.

He didn't get very far before he heard Sam calling his name. "No, Sam." Frodo whispered softly to himself. He couldn't let his best friend come with him; he wouldn't put Sam in that kind of danger. Aragorn and the others would look after Sam and his cousins. He frowned when he heard splashing behind him, and he turned to see Sam up to his knees in the water and walking towards him. "Go back, Sam! I'm going to Mordor alone!" he called to his friend, trying to stress the words.

Unfortunately, Sam was as determined as he was. "Of course you are, and I'm coming with you!" the gardener yelled back.

Frodo's eyes went wide as he watched Sam continue to walk to the boat. "You can't swim!" The water was up to Sam's chest now, and Frodo could tell that Sam wouldn't be able to go much further before the water would be over his head.

Sam finally came to a drop-off in the bottom of the river. It wasn't a big drop-off to a human, but to Sam it was just enough so that his feet could no longer touch the bottom and allow him to keep his head above water. He valiantly tried to swim towards Frodo, but couldn't make it. The distance between them was too great, and Sam slipped beneath the surface of the water. Just before he submerged completely he heard Frodo call his name in horror.

Sam tried desperately to get back above the surface, but the attempt was useless and he finally stopped, staring up at the sunlight that seemed to dance on the ripples made in the water. He could feel water coming into his mouth, and he was just floating under the water, but was slowly going deeper into the river.

Frodo had immediately turned the boat around as Sam went under and now pulled the boat up to where his friend had disappeared beneath the water. He leaned over the side of the boat, being careful not to tip the boat, and reached into the water. He found Sam almost immediately and grabbed his wrist, feeling Sam return the grip. He pulled hard and Sam's head popped up above the water, the gardener sputtering and coughing as he spit out a mouthful of water. With Frodo's help, Sam hauled himself into the boat.

Once Sam had calmed himself somewhat, he looked at Frodo, his hair dripping water into his eyes. "I made a promise Mr. Frodo. A promise! 'Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee!' And I don't mean to. I don't mean to."

"Oh, Sam." Frodo said, feeling his eyes fill with tears. He embraced his friend. He would allow Sam to come with him, because he knew in his heart that Sam would never do anything to hurt him. The two pulled apart and looked at each other with tear-filled eyes. "Come on." Frodo said at last as they both picked up a paddle and continued to journey towards the eastern shore.

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Meanwhile…

Will had woken up not that long ago to find himself slung over the shoulder of an Uruk-Hai. He hissed in pain, the bouncing motion of the beast's strides causing his already aching head to slam repeatedly against the Uruk's armor. He risked opening his eyes again, trying to take in the situation. He glanced to his right and saw Pippin being carried by another Uruk. The youngest hobbit was smiling in relief to see that Will was awake.

Will glanced around again, but couldn't locate Merry. He felt a thread of hope that maybe the older cousin had escaped, although he doubted it, knowing that Merry wouldn't have allowed Pippin to be captured while he ran.

The blacksmith turned his head to the left, and spotted Jack being carried by another Uruk a few paces away. The pirate was still unconscious, which was probably a good thing considering his situation. He looked closer at the pirate and felt his breath catch when he saw how pale Jack's face was, and he could actually make out the trail of blood that was running down the Uruk's back from the pirate's arrow wound. The arrow was still embedded in Jack's flesh, but luckily the pirate was positioned in such a way that the arrow wasn't being driven any further into his flesh. However, Will knew that probably was more due to luck than to any courtesy of the Uruks. No matter what, that arrow had to come out!

Will began to shift in the Uruk's strong grip, partly from nerves, and partly in an attempt to get free. "My friend needs help!" he cried to his captor.

The Uruk ignored him, so Will began to thrash harder, trying to get the Uruk to drop him. It almost worked and the surrounding Uruks began to growl in warning. Will had to get through to them, or Jack would be dead before they got to wherever they were going. "The other ranger is going to die if you don't let me help him! He'll bleed to death if I don't get that arrow out of him!" Will screamed at the top of his lungs in frustration, ignoring the frightened look that Pippin gave him at his cry.

The Uruk that was holding him paused for the briefest moment, and then continued running, although he passed the message onto the Uruk running next to him. This Uruk, who happened to be the new leader of the group, called out a few orders and the group came to a halt. Walking over to where Will was being held, and grabbed the blacksmith's face, forcing Will to look at him. "If you're so worried about him, then you take care of him!"

At a signal from the new Uruk captain, Jack was dropped, none to gently, to the ground. The Uruk carrying Will literally threw the blacksmith off his back, and Will crashed to the ground, landing hard on his right shoulder, which caused his injured shoulder to start bleeding, again. Will bit his lip to stop from crying out at the pain, but his own injury was the least of his worries right now. He crawled over to where Jack was lying, and examined the pirate's wound.

Will sighed as he studied the situation. He had to get that arrow out without causing any more damage, but he wasn't a healer, and arrows weren't used in the Caribbean any more, they hadn't been for decades. He had no idea how to remove an arrow, let alone how to treat such a wound. He licked his lips nervously and glanced up at the Uruks, all of whom were looking down at him. Will was already worried that he was going to hurt his friend even more, and the last thing he needed right now was an audience watching his every move.

"Hurry up!" the Uruk closest to him screeched.

Will bit his lip and blinked rapidly as he reached out a trembling hand to grab the arrow shaft. He looked around nervously again as he slid his hand down the shaft and rested it against Jack's shirt. He pressed down carefully against the pirate's chest, being careful not to press directly against the wound, and then took hold of the arrow with his other hand, making sure he had a good grip. Closing his eyes, the blacksmith sent up a quick prayer to whatever deities watched over Middle-Earth, and took a deep breath, before he pulled the arrow out swiftly, trying to spare Jack whatever pain he could. He had no idea if what he was doing now would cause more damage later or not.

As the arrow exited Jack's shoulder, blood began to pool up more quickly and a pained gasp escaped the pirate, the sudden pain bringing Jack back to consciousness. Jack laid there breathing heavily, but then slowly opened his eyes and tried to blink the world above him into some kind of focus when he felt someone unbuttoning his shirt. "Will?" Jack rasped out the blacksmith's name in question.

"Shhh." Will instructed as he reached into the small belt pouch that Aragorn had given him when they left Rivendell. Inside were a few healing herbs that Lord Elrond had provided when the Fellowship left the Elven city. Will pulled the herbs out and looked them over, having no idea which was which. He thought hard, trying to picture which herbs Aragorn had used the very few times that they had been necessary.

Selecting what he hoped were the correct ones, Will slipped the others back into his belt pouch and pulled Jack's tunic away from the wound. He tore a strip from his own sleeve and pressed it against Jack's shoulder to stop the blood flow, and the pirate hissed and tried to shift position.

"Don't move, Elendur." Will murmured softly as he moved the cloth away from the wound and began applying the herbs to Jack's shoulder. Jack frowned at his young friend, wondering why he had used that name and wondering why Will was tending him instead of Aragorn. The pirate's breath caught as he heard the heavy breathing of the Uruks around them and he understood immediately what was going on. The two friends locked eyes, their gazes each showing their fear of the situation in which they found themselves, but also relief that they weren't going through this alone.

"This should do for now." Will said to the Uruks as he finished securing a bandage around Jack's shoulder. He leaned in closer to Jack and lowered his voice. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more my friend." Sitting back on his heels, Will looked up at the Uruk leader. "I managed to stop the bleeding, but you'll have to be careful with him. If you put him through too much it will start bleeding again and he'll likely be dead before we get to wherever you are planning on taking us."

Will looked away, and then glanced back at Jack, and the pirate smiled and nodded at him in thanks as an Uruk came and pulled Will to his feet. As Will's hands were bound, he watched as an Uruk bent down and picked Jack up, settling him on its shoulder with considerably more care then it had shown when it had dropped Jack on the ground. Will suddenly was hoisted into the air by the Uruk who had been carrying him and was settled back on its shoulder, although it wasn't as gentle or careful as Jack had been handled. Once both friends were in place, the group started running again, carrying their four prisoners further away from the rest of the Fellowship.

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Back at Amon Hen…

"Frodo!" Aragorn called as the camp came into view through the trees. He listened but there was no answer. Aragorn frowned. Could Frodo be hiding until he was certain it was them?

"Why don't you go ahead and look for Frodo, Estel?" Legolas suggested from behind his friend.

Aragorn half-turned to the prince. "Do you want help carrying him?" he asked the elf, who was carrying a still drugged Boromir. Legolas had offered to carry the man down the steep hill, since as an elf he had better balance than either Gimli or Aragorn, and it was less likely that he would slip and fall.

Legolas shook his head. He had carried Aragorn home to his father so many times now that carrying Boromir made no difference to him, even if Boromir was a little bit bigger than the ranger. Half-smiling at the memories, Legolas replied to his friend. "No, I can manage Estel."

Aragorn nodded and ran ahead of the elf and dwarf, who was in charge of carrying their companions' lost weapons back to the camp, and emerged from the trees at the camp. He came to a stop on the gravel beach and looked around, scanning the beach for any signs of Frodo and Sam. They still had no idea what happened to the gardener, as his sword hadn't been with the weapons that Gimli had collected. Aragorn was hoping that Sam would have had the most sense and stayed at the camp.

"Frodo?" Aragorn called again when he saw no signs of the Ringbearer. He wondered if Frodo had gotten lost trying to find the camp, but he doubted that. He looked around again and finally noticed that one of the elven boats was missing. Looking out at the lake, he spotted the boat, being steered by Frodo and Sam towards the opposite shore. *What are they doing?* Aragorn thought as he ran to the water's edge, again calling Frodo's name.

It was about this time that Legolas made it down to the beach. The elf paused for a moment, his keen eyes taking in all the details of the situation, but then he walked over to the tree where Boromir had laid his belongings earlier and placed the man on the ground. Once Boromir was settled, Legolas stood and walked over to Aragorn.

"We have to go after him!" Aragorn said, sounding slightly panicked as his friend stepped up next to him.

Legolas nodded in agreement, but then he remembered the rest of their companions. "Estel, what about Jack and Will? And the hobbits? We can't just leave them to die by the Uruks' hands!"

Aragorn sighed as he considered this. He rubbed his hands over his face. He had no idea what to do now. He knew Legolas was right, he couldn't just leave the four to die, but they had sworn to protect Frodo and he didn't want to back down on that promise. Legolas easily sensed his friend's distress and placed a comforting hand on the ranger's shoulder. However, Legolas blinked in surprise at Aragorn's response, which was to shrug the elf off before he headed back up to the trees.

Aragorn sank to the ground and closed his eyes. This was turning into his worst nightmare, and began blaming himself for the terrible turn of events and began questioning everything that he knew. If he became king, he would be expected to lead and make decisions for his people and his country. But how would he be able to lead an entire country when he couldn't even take over for Gandalf and lead a small company? How was he supposed to make important decisions for his kingdom if he couldn't even decide on how to help his friends now? In his mind, every decision that he had made had led them from bad to worse and he didn't want that to continue.

He buried his face in his hands and presses his palms against his eyes, which were filling with unshed tears of frustration and hopelessness. He raised his head slightly when he heard his name being called. He looked up and to his right and saw that Boromir was beginning to wake. Aragorn sighed and got up, blinking back his tears for now. He walked to the Gondorian's side and knelt down next to him, as Boromir mumbled his name again.

"Peace Boromir." Aragorn said as Boromir opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light before he looked at Aragorn.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked groggily, his words slurring slightly under the last influences of the drug he had been given.

"Just long enough for me to treat your wounds." Aragorn replied, his voice holding hints of the depression he had worked himself into.

Boromir nodded and then frowned, his eye growing wide in concern. "Frodo, where's Frodo?"

Aragorn lowered his eyes. "I told him to wait here for us after I found him on the hilltop, but he did not listen. He and Sam have left."

Boromir lowered his eyes in guilt. "It is my fault. I tried to take the Ring from him."

"I know. He told me when I found him. He said Will had stopped you." Aragorn said before Boromir could go on. Aragorn felt bad for him and decided to cut in and save him from having to explain by letting him know that he knew what had happened, at least in part. He didn't need the details at the moment, since they were running out of time for Aragorn to make a decision. Every moment Frodo and Sam drew closer to the eastern shore, and every moment gave the Uruks that much larger of a head start.

Boromir just nodded in agreement. "Afterwards, Will and I came back to camp, only to find all of you gone. So we decided to follow Merry and Pippin's tracks. We finally found them when the Uruks began to chase them." Boromir frowned. "They actually taunted the Uruk-Hai into chasing them."

Aragorn's eyes widened. "They did what?!"

"They taunted the Uruks into chasing them. It sounded like they were trying to lead them away from something." Boromir replied.

Aragorn closed his eyes as he realized what had happened. "They must have found Frodo and tried to lead the Uruks away from him." Aragorn breathed, marveling at the love, bravery, and selflessness that the two hobbits had shown. He looked down at Boromir as the man tensed and winced at the pain that was engulfing his head. He moved to rub the area around the gash, but Aragorn caught his hand. "Leave it be, you'll only make it worse."

Boromir sighed before continuing. "Will and I found them and fought the Uruks, but they were too many. Will was already injured from trying to stop me from taking the Ring, and he was having problems, so I sounded my horn. Jack arrived a few minutes later and helped us fight them off, but there was an archer on the hill. Jack and Will both saw him, but I didn't. The archer was aiming for me, but Jack pushed me to the ground and took the arrow himself." Boromir paused at the shock of what he said showed on Aragorn's face.

"Was it fatal?" Aragorn asked shakily, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer. He wasn't sure if he could cope with any more bad news at this point, and he couldn't even imagine life without Jack. The pirate was one of his best friends, and if he was gone, Aragorn had no idea what he would do.

"No, it hit his left shoulder." Boromir replied. "But it was serious, he was bleeding pretty badly. Will went to try to help, but he started to panic, so I told him to go and hold off the Uruks so I could try and help Jack. Merry and Pippin were helping too; they were throwing rocks at the Uruks and holding them back. Everything just happened so fast after that. Before I even knew what had happened, the Uruks had taken Will and the little ones. I told Jack to run and to try to find you, and I went to fight the Uruk that had grabbed Merry."

"And that's how you gained your injury?" Aragorn asked.

"Yes. That's the last thing I remember." Boromir replied.

The two were silent for a long time as Aragorn let this new information sink in. But it didn't help him in making a decision. He was still torn between his two options. But after hearing about Will and Jack getting injured he was leaning more in that direction. But would the others go for that path? Would they be willing to abandon their promises to Frodo?

Aragorn got to his feet and extended a hand to Boromir. Boromir took the offered hand and Aragorn pulled him to his feet, trying his hardest not to let the turmoil he was feeling inside show on his face. Gimli came up to them as Aragorn walked a few steps away from Boromir, pausing and looking back at the eastern shore. The little elven boat had stopped and the two hobbits were making their way up the slope and disappearing into the woods.

He then blinked in realization as everything suddenly made sense in his mind. Frodo had left, not only because of what the Ring had done to Boromir, but to himself and Will as well. The Ring would destroy them all if they stayed and followed Frodo to Mount Doom, and Frodo had known it. That was why he had left. Aragorn smiled at the hobbit's wisdom in seeing this, making up his mind as to what they would do.

Legolas meanwhile had been watching Frodo and Sam, although Aragorn was certain that the elf's keen ears had allowed him to hear every word that Boromir and he had spoken. Legolas now moved to push one of the other boats into the water. "Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore!"

Legolas thought that his friend would surely follow Frodo, but when Aragorn didn't reply, the elf prince turned back and studied the ranger in surprise. Aragorn was unmoving, one leg resting on a log. Legolas frowned. "You mean not to follow them?" he asked, some of his surprise evident in his voice.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." Aragorn told his three companions seriously as they all approached him.

"Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed." Gimli said as he and Boromir came to a stop in front of the ranger alongside Legolas.

Aragorn sighed and decided that if a young hobbit could continue on with his task, then he could continue with his and lead the others. "Not if we stay true to each other. We will not abandon our friends to torment and death. Not while we have strength left."

Aragorn turned and walked over to where Gimli had placed the pile of weapons that he had recovered from the battlefield and sorted through them. He picked up Jack's sword and handed it to Legolas to carry, then handed one of the two short swords belonging to the hobbits to Gimli. He took the other, and then handed Will's sword to Boromir, along with the dagger from Lady Galadriel.

"Take only what is necessary." Aragorn said softly. Legolas walked over to the packs and gathered up Jack's pistol and his bag of supplies for that weapon, and a few pouches of lembas, all of which he stuffed into a small pack and swung over his shoulder. "We must travel light." Aragorn continued as he sheathed his hunting knife. "Let's hunt some orc!"

Aragorn turned and again ran into the woods, leaving his three companions behind. They all looked between each other before heading off after the ranger, determined to save their four friends.


	19. Chapter 19

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 19_

Lothlorien…

The wind shivered through the trees of the Golden Woods as the Lady Galadriel made her way down to her mirror as quickly as she could without running. It would not be good for her people to see her running as if there was an emergency. Three days ago an odd uneasiness had overtaken her, and refused to go away, and now she had this horrible feeling that something had gone terribly wrong with the Fellowship. Galadriel could feel this with every part of her being, and she quickened her pace, her anxiety mounting.

Throwing all caution to the wind, the Lady descended the stairs to the grotto where her mirror stood at a run. She hurried over to the fountain and filled the silver pitcher, carrying it over to the empty basin. Filling the basin carefully, she placed the pitcher on the ground.

Galadriel closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. She had to be completely in control of herself, or the mirror would seize on that and overwhelm her. She dealt with incredible power here, and could not afford to be distracted by her emotions. She exhaled slowly and then leaned over the basin, staring into the still water inside the basin.

The water was still for a few moments, and then rippled as if an invisible pebble had been dropped into the mirror. Images appeared in the mirror, and Galadriel directed the mirror to show her what had been happening with the Fellowship since they had left the protection of Lorien's borders. The images changed, and she watched the events at Amon Hen, altered from what had been meant to be. She watched as Will stopped Boromir from trying to take the Ring, before the mirror showed the fight on the hill between the Fellowship and Saruman's orcs. Her eyes widened as she watched Jack shove Boromir aside and took the arrow himself. The last images were of the Uruk-Hai taking Will, Jack, and the hobbits prisoner and Galadriel let out a gasp of dismay, as the mirror went dark.

She staggered back from the mirror, her mind whirling with thoughts of what these new developments could mean for the Fellowship, and didn't hear the approach of Celeborn. The elf lord had heard his wife's gasp and come immediately to see what had happened. He held her now in his strong arms, trying to calm her. "What happened, meleth nin? {My love}"

Galadriel took a deep, calming breath and looked into the concerned eyes of her husband. "The Fellowship has broken. Events have been altered from what they should have been, and the future is veiled. There is no way to know what these changes may bring about. All we can do now is pray that these changes will not alter the future for worse."

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Jack shifted slightly in the Uruk's tight grip as he began to wake for the first time in two days. The first day, or what he could remember of it at least, had been a complete nightmare. Despite Will's care, his shoulder had become slightly infected, and the Uruks had been forced to stop when Jack had begun to retch and had become delirious from the combination of blood loss and fever. Luckily the Uruk-Hai had again allowed Will to tend to Jack, not wanting to bring Saruman's prize back dead, and having to then face the wizard's wrath.

Will had worked long and hard to try to save Jack, not knowing if he was doing the right thing or not and only having to make his best guesses about what the pirate needed. Thankfully, someone was watching out for the two outlanders, and Will's ministrations had proven to be successful, as Jack's fever had finally broken, and Jack actually found that he was feeling pretty good, or at least as good as anyone could feel in their situation.

Jack finally dared to open his eyes and look around for his other companions. He spotted Merry, who at the moment was completely out of it. The older hobbit had a nasty cut over his right eyebrow. Jack's gaze shifted to the left and he saw Pippin, who was awake and looking around. The younger hobbit smiled when he noticed that Jack was awake, but his gaze turned worriedly to his cousin.

Jack risked another quick glance around, searching for Will, but to his dismay the young blacksmith was nowhere to be seen. A jolt of pain lanced through his still healing shoulder as the Uruk ran over some uneven ground and jarred Jack's shoulder. The pirate groaned and closed his eyes against the pain that was now flooding his body from the bouncing around that the Uruk was giving him.

Jack kept his eyes closed and hoped that he would fall asleep again in order to escape the pain from his injured shoulder, but he was not that fortunate and remained awake as the Uruk's continued their journey, forced to suffer until the beast that was carrying him came to an unexpected stop.

Jack opened his eyes and looked around, but still saw no sign of Will. Jack's mind began to race with a combination of worry for his friend and a plan to try to find him. He moaned loudly in supposed pain, (which actually wasn't too far from the truth) hoping that the Uruks would allow Will to come and tend to him again.

The leader of the Uruk-Hai turned away from the conversation that he was in with a new group of Saruman's orcs that had met up with them, and faced the supposedly pained pirate's direction. "Let the other Ranger scum take a look at him!" he yelled impatiently, his tolerance already worn thin from the Orc maggots trying ignorantly to order him about.

Jack hissed in real pain as he was lowered to the ground. The Uruk was much gentler than he would have thought, but it still hurt nonetheless. He lay there with his eyes closed, breathing deeply and letting out the occasional moan so that the Uruks wouldn't think he was faking the pain he was in.

Will hissed in pain as another Uruk grabbed his injured shoulder and drug him back up to his feet, shoving him forward towards the front of the group. Needless to say, when he saw Jack lying on the ground moaning in pain, he rushed over to his friend's side, fearing that the pirate had taken ill again. He knelt down next to his friend, calling his name softly, but blinked in surprise when Jack's honey brown eyes opened and locked onto his face, no sign of pain or illness in their depths.

Jack didn't say anything, just studied Will for a long moment. The blacksmith's hair and clothing were soaked with sweat, and it was easy to see how truly exhausted the man was. About a day ago the Uruks had decided that since Will's injury wasn't serious, he didn't need to be carried and would run the rest of the way. The Uruks had made sure that he kept up by fastening a loop of rope around Will's throat like a leash, and they took fiendish delight in tugging on it whenever he started to slow down, yanking him forward and causing the rough rope to rub the blacksmith's skin raw. After such rough treatment, the rope was actually causing the irritated skin to bleed.

Jack frowned at the dried blood that he could see on the rope, as well as the dried and fresh blood that was on Will's shirt and skin. "What have they done to you?" the pirate whispered in shock and dismay, noting the despair in Will's eyes and knowing that it wouldn't take much more before the Uruk-Hai would have succeeded in breaking the blacksmith's spirits.

Will lowered his eyes and began to check the pirate's arrow wound. He couldn't tell Jack that he had begun to seriously question his right to be here. After all, in reality what right did he have to decide the fate of this world when he was only a blacksmith? He wouldn't even have been able to face the orcs in Moria if it wasn't for Boromir and the support that the man had shown to him, so how was he supposed to face this situation that they now found themselves in? He should have just taken Lady Galadriel's offer and returned to the Caribbean where he belonged. "Nothing, Jack." he answered to the pirate's question. Jack didn't answer, so when Will chanced a glance upward he saw the pirate giving him his 'oh spare me' look.

"I may play the idiot, Will, but I am not one. Anyone could see how deep your despair runs, savvy?" Jack said softly, smirking ever so slightly. Will felt a small smile tugging on the corners of his own lips. At least some of the weight would now be lifted from his shoulders, knowing that Jack would be fine.

The two of them looked up in horror as they heard the leader of the Uruk's order his men to give Merry some medicine in response to Pippin's request that they give the older hobbit some water. "Stay down and keep your eyes closed, Jack!" Will hissed commandingly as he jumped to his feet and hurried over to the Uruk, trying to knock the bottle of 'medicine' away from Merry. The older hobbit was gagging on the thick brown liquid which burned like fire as he reflexively swallowed some of it.

"Let me look after him!" Will demanded as he succeeded in ripping the bottle free of the Uruk's grasp. The only answer he received however was a swift, hard yank on the rope, one that was so hard that it threw him backwards off his feet and onto the ground. Will gasped in pain as his injured shoulder slammed into the ground, but that pain was the least of his concerns as he rolled onto his back weakly, clutching his throat in agony as he struggled to deal with all the pain flooding his body. He barely heard the Uruks laughing at his expense.

"Filthy, good for nothing Ranger!" the Uruk closest to the blacksmith screeched, kicking Will soundly in the side, causing the young man to curl into a fetal position in a futile effort to protect himself.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Pippin cried in distress as the Uruk kicked Will again, this time in the stomach. A soft whimper of pain escaped the blacksmith, and he didn't move other than to gasp as he tried to force air back into his suddenly depleted lungs.

"Keep your moth shut!" the lead Uruk yelled at Pippin, who out of fear did what he was instructed. Snarling, the Uruk turned back to face the Orcs when he caught scent of something. Man-flesh. He sniffed the air again. He knew Will and Jack's scents by now; this was definitely new and belonged to more than one man at that.

"What is it? What do you smell?" a nearby Uruk asked.

"Man-flesh." the lead Uruk stated simply, and the others looked around frantically.

Will had managed to catch his breath by now, and rolled weakly over to look at Jack, who nodded at him, a small smile crossing the pirate's face. "Aragorn." Jack mouthed soundlessly at Will in relief. Aragorn was coming for them, and wherever Aragorn was, Legolas was sure to be close behind, along with anyone else who was left of the Fellowship.

Both Will and Jack were grabbed suddenly and flung over the shoulders of the Uruks as they began to run at a much quicker pace than before.

Jack watched as Pippin leaned back and caught hold of his brooch from Lothlorien in his teeth, ripping it free of the cloak and spitting it out to land at the side of the trail, unnoticed by the Uruks, leaving their companions a sign that they were still alive. Jack smiled and winked at Pippin, and the younger hobbit smiled back.

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Aragorn lay down on a patch of bare rock, his ear pressed to the ground and his eyes closed as he let his tracking instincts go to work, listening for the sound of footsteps. He stayed like that for a few moments, and then his eyes snapped open suddenly. "Their pace has quickened." he said as he raised his head from the ground. "They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Aragorn called over his shoulder to his three companions as he got up and again took off, following the Uruk's path, though no prints were visible on the rock.

Legolas paused for a brief moment as Boromir ran past him, and glanced back over his shoulder to where Gimli was struggling up the hill. "Come on Gimli!" he called before running after the two men.

Gimli paused in his steps and huffed, trying to catch his breath. "Three days and nights pursuit. No food. Only one brief rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!" he complained as he started running after his companions again.

The Four Hunters ran across rocks and plains, Aragorn in the lead, with Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli behind him. The elf prince took it upon himself to look back every once in a while and to make sure that Gimli was keeping up, and to goad him onward if he seemed to be lagging.

It didn't take long for them to reach the place where the Uruks had taken their most recent break. The rocks rose on both sides of them, creating a very small, shallow canyon, the bottom of which was grass and dirt covered. Aragorn searched the ground and easily distinguished a set of human tracks among the Uruks'. And if Jack was as badly injured as Boromir said, then these most likely belonged to Will.

Suddenly a small flicker of light caught his eyes and he hurried over to it, bending down and picking up an elven brooch from the ground. The sunlight had struck the brooch at just the right angle to make it sparkle; otherwise he would never have spotted it.

"What is it?" Boromir asked as he looked down at the ranger, unable to see what Aragorn held in his hand.

Aragorn smiled and looked up at Boromir and Legolas. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." He stretched out his hand, showing them the brooch. "There are a set of tracks here that I am guessing are Will's." Aragorn said.

Legolas smiled broadly. "Then they are still alive!"

Aragorn nodded in agreement and handed the brooch to Boromir, and the other man slipped it into a small pocket in his tunic. Aragorn got back to his feet and studied the tracks again. "They are less than a day ahead of us! Come!"

As the three began to run again, Gimli finally stumbled out from behind some rocks and rolled to the ground in a clanking of armor, with a few cries and curses thrown in for good measure.

As the dwarf staggered to his feet, Legolas glanced back over his shoulder, not breaking stride. "Come Gimli! We are gaining on them!"

Gimli began jogging after them, panting heavily. "I'm wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances." he yelled to his three companions.

The trackers came over a hill and paused, staring out at the plains spread before them. "Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There is something strange at work here, some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Aragorn said as his eyes scanned the plains.

Legolas decided to run ahead, of the others and looked out to the horizon. Aragorn stayed where he was for a few moments as Gimli caught up, finally calling out to his friend. "Legolas! What do your Elf eyes see?"

Legolas again studied the horizon, his keen gaze picking out a rising cloud of dust. His eyes narrowed as he called back to Aragorn. "The Uruks turn northeast. They are taking them to Isengard!" His voice held an urgent tone in it.

Aragorn felt his heart sink. "Saruman." he breathed, casting his eyes down at the thought of their four companions having to face the wizard, and sending up a prayer to the Valar that they would be able to catch up to the Uruks before they reached the wizard's lair.

His head snapped up when he heard a hiss of pain, and he turned to face Boromir. "Haven't I already told you to leave the cut alone?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the Gondorian as he closed the distance between them.

"The pain is coming back." Boromir said as Aragorn looked over the stitched gash, checking to make sure there was no infection. During the chase they had had to stop the first night for almost an hour. Boromir had been in so much pain that they really had had no choice in the matter, even though it was precious time that they were losing. But during that hour, Aragorn had made up an elixir for the other man that Elrond had shown him. On it's own it would deaden Boromir's pain, but with a few extra ingredients added to it, it would give Boromir added energy to enable him to keep up with the grueling pace that they would have to set, despite his wound.

Aragorn reached into the pocket of his overcoat and pulled out the vial. "Take some more of this." Aragorn instructed as he removed the cap and passed the vial to Boromir. The other man gratefully took the vial and brought it to his lips, taking a few sips before Aragorn told him that was enough and passing it back to the ranger.

Aragorn couldn't help but smile in amusement at the face of distaste that Boromir made as he capped the vial and slipped it back into his pocket before they began to run again. They traveled much further, and as sunset neared they were forced to increase their pace even more as they tried to close the distance between themselves and the Uruks.

"Keep breathing! That's the key! Breathe! Ho!" Gimli panted as he struggled to keep up with the longer legged men and elf.

"They run as if the very whips of their master were behind them!" Legolas observed as he followed Aragorn's lead.


	20. Chapter 20

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 20_

Later that night…

The sun had set hours before and the Uruks and orcs finally halted, many of them panting with the exertion from the pace they had had to set.

"We're not going no further, 'til we've had a breather!" yelled an Orc.

The lead Uruk, named Ugluk, straightened up and figured that they had put enough distance between themselves and their pursuers for now. "Get a fire going!" he yelled, and several Orcs hurried off to gather wood.

The four Uruks carrying the prisoners dropped them unceremoniously, desperate to be rid of the extra weight. Jack hit the ground and couldn't help the cry that escaped him as pain spread through his chest.

Will's eyes went wide and he crawled over to the pirate as quickly as possible. "Jack, don't move." he said softly. He had decided not to bother with their Ranger names, figuring these beasts wouldn't know the difference, nor would they particularly care. He carefully rolled Jack onto his back and pushed the pirate's tunic aside for a look at the wound.

The Uruk that had dropped Jack didn't even look twice before moving away from the two men. They didn't need to be watched. They were both smart enough to know that if they attempted anything they would live to regret it.

Jack winced as Will pulled his tunic away from his shoulder, revealing the arrow wound, which had begun to bleed again from the rough treatment. Will examined it and sighed in relief. Even though the wound had started bleeding again, it had healed enough so that it wouldn't open any further just from the rough treatment. It would only be truly serious if Jack was stabbed or shot in the same place again, which Will silently hoped to avoid. "You'll be fine, Jack." Will said softly, giving his friend a smile.

Jack returned the smile, along with a nod of thanks. "I think you missed your calling, mate. You make an excellent doctor." The pirate pulled his tunic back over his shoulder and carefully sat up. "How is Merry?" he asked, nodding towards where the hobbits lay nearby. "Did you get to check him at all?"

Will shook his head no and was about to go to them when a loud rumbling noise came from the forest, and he stopped. Merry and Pippin began talking softly and Will and Jack listened to the discussion.

"What's making that noise?" Pippin asked nervously.

Merry sat up a little and looked off towards the forest. "It's the trees."

Pippin frowned in confusion. "What?"

Merry looked down at his cousin and began explaining. "Do you remember the Old Forest? On the borders of Buckland? Folk used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall…and come alive."

Jack's voice filtered into the conversation at this point. "The trees came alive?"

Merry turned to face Will and Jack. "Aye. Trees that could whisper, talk to each other. Even move."

Will's eyes widened again and he exchanged an uncertain look with Jack. Middle-Earth had talking trees now? The blacksmith shook his head as he came to the decision that this had to be the strangest place ever. "Just lay still for now, Jack." Will said to his friend, and Jack nodded. Will crawled over to where the two hobbits were lying. "How do you feel Merry?" Will asked as he studied the gash above Merry's eye.

"Better." Merry replied. "Whatever they gave me was some kind of medicine." The hobbit frowned as he noticed Will staring down at something. "What is it Will?"

"You still have Galadriel's gift!" the blacksmith exclaimed, but softly, not wanting to attract the attention of the Uruks.

Merry looked down and spied the belt and dagger from the elf Queen. "So?" questioned the hobbit. They were surrounded by Uruks and Orcs and he couldn't see what difference a dagger would make or how it could help them in this situation.

"Just trust me." Will said softly as he pulled the dagger out of the sheath, which was attached to the belt. He nodded slightly and smiled, and then moved back over to where Jack was lying, keeping the dagger concealed as he did so.

The four friends' attention was drawn to the Orcs as they began to grumble again. "I'm starving. We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days!" exclaimed an Uruk as he tossed a piece of the bread onto the ground.

One of the orcs, named Snaga, nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Why can't we have some meats?" he hissed. His gaze roved the camp and came to rest on the hobbits. "What about them? They're fresh!"

Another Uruk grabbed the two hobbits' arms and dragged them to their feet, bringing them to the middle of the group. There was a restless energy about the group as they licked their lips and gazed at the two hobbits, both of whom were looking very nervous.

"They are not for eating!" Ugluk said sharply.

"What about their legs? They don't need those." another Orc countered. "Ooh, they look tasty!" he moved towards Merry and Pippin, but Ugluk blocked him again.

"Get back scum!"

Will hopped to his feet, concealing Merry's dagger in his tunic as he moved towards the hobbits, intending to intervene. Before he made it two steps however, he was shoved aside and to the ground. He sighed in frustration, but didn't dare try again, as the Uruk who had shoved him was still hovering near him and snarling in warning.

"The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled." Ugluk stressed.

The orc who had suggested eating Merry and Pippin's legs peered around Ugluk at the two hobbits. "Alive? Why alive? Do they give good sport?" Merry and Pippin looked uncertain at this comment.

"They have something, an elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war." Ugluk replied.

Pippin leaned over to Merry and whispered. "They think we have the Ring."

"Shhh!" Merry hissed. "As soon as they find out we don't, we're dead!"

The two hobbits were unaware of Snaga moving up behind them, sword drawn and ready. Jack spotted the orc however, and cried out a warning to his friends. They spun around, and came face to face with the orc. "Just a mouthful! A bit off the flank!" Snaga cried, raising his sword high. Ugluk ran up unexpectedly and swung his own sword, cutting off the Orc's head, which tumbled down onto the hobbits' shoulders.

Ugluk held up his sword. "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" At this the Uruks and the Orcs went wild, shoving Merry and Pippin aside as they started tearing into their dead companion's flesh, intestines flying into the air as they fought over the meat.

Merry and Pippin watched in horror until they sensed someone moving up behind them. They rolled over and saw Will lying next to them. The blacksmith glanced around carefully as he used Merry's dagger to cut through the hobbits' bonds. "Stay down on the ground and crawl towards the woods." he whispered to them, nodding towards the trees.

The two hobbits nodded and crawled off after Jack, who had already gotten a head start, since Will had cut his bonds when he had been shoved aside. The two men were obviously able to go faster than the hobbits despite their respective wounds, and were soon ahead of the hobbits.

Suddenly a foot came down on Merry's back, and Pippin rolled over onto his, coming face to face with the orc who had backed up Snaga on eating the hobbits. He snarled at them, catching Pippin's face in his hand and brandishing a dagger in the other. "Go on, call for help! Squeal! No one's going to save you now!" he said viciously.

"Will! Jack! HELP!" Merry screamed to the two men, who had almost made it to the safety of the woods. The two of them stopped immediately and scrambled to their feet, running back to the hobbits as the orcs all looked up at Merry's cry.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a spear flew through the air and embedded itself in the back of the orc that had the two hobbits trapped. It collapsed and in the blink of an eye, chaos erupted as dozens of mounted men charged into the camp, brandishing spears, swords, and bows. They swept through the camp, killing all who crossed their path. Will and Jack paused only for a moment before they plunged into the middle of the battle, searching for their friends.

Merry and Pippin were still lying on the ground, but now they were rolling desperately as they tried to avoid the pounding hooves of the horses. Pippin rolled to his right and onto his back, only to look up and see a pair of thrashing hooves coming down on him. He began screaming, thinking that he was about to die, when someone grabbed his tunic and yanked him away from the hooves, pulling him clear an instant before the hooves slammed into the ground. Pippin looked up to see Jack and Merry lying next to him. "Jack?" Pippin asked shakily, his nerves still on fire after his near-death experience.

"You and Merry run and hide in the woods!" Jack ordered the hobbits as he tried to help them navigate the sea of fighting humans, horses, and orcs. As they got free of the worst of the battle, Jack shoved Pippin forward. "Go now! I have to find Will!" Jack yelled and to his relief, Merry and Pippin listened and took off for the woods.

Jack turned around and headed back into the battle, calling Will's name frantically. He dodged several horses and orcs, and then tripped over a body lying on the ground. As he was trying to recover his balance, something, Jack wasn't sure if it was a horse or a dying Uruk, slammed into him from behind, sending him crashing to the ground. The pirate landed on his stomach and again pain ripped through his body, but he didn't have time to think about that now. He started to get back up, but then felt something press him back to the ground.

"Stay down, Jack." Will said as he covered his friend's injured body with his own. Neither of them could fight, seeing as how they had no weapons except Merry's small dagger. Add in the fact that they were both wounded and that ruled out the option of fighting altogether. Will figured that their best option was to play dead for the time being, and when the riders left they could retreat into the woods and find Merry and Pippin. Will just hoped that they wouldn't be trampled, but then again, why would a rider let his horse run on and over corpses? *Dear God, please don't let us be trampled!* Will prayed silently.

The two friends didn't have to wait long before the roars and screeches of the Uruks and Orcs came to a stop, the riders having slaughtered every last one of them. Will and Jack both listened as someone began shouting orders for the riders to gather the corpses and burn them. Will heard Jack curse under his breath as the men moved around the battlefield, piling the corpses up in the middle of the field in preparation to burn them.

Will tensed as footsteps approached on his left side. The footsteps paused next to him for a long, breathless moment, and then the man raised a foot and pushed Will off of Jack's back with it. Will landed on his back and looked up at the man. There was no point in trying to play dead now, the man had likely noticed them breathing as they lay there. The man called out something and several of his fellow riders came running up with swords and bows drawn and aimed at Jack and Will, moving in for the kill.

"Parley!" Jack screamed suddenly. He hadn't expected it to actually work, but the man paused for a moment before signaling his men to move in again. "I said PARLEY!" Jack repeated and this time the men stood down, staring at the pirate in surprise. Will looked over at Jack, who smiled and shrugged.

Will stood up and faced the man who had knocked him off of Jack. "I wish to speak to your Commodore." Will blinked and picked up on his mistake right away and quickly corrected himself. "Commander, take me to your commander." He repeated to the men, who looked slightly confused at his slip of the tongue.

The man who had found them narrowed his eyes at Will, before turning and striding away across the battlefield, leading Will and Jack to whoever was in charge. Will looked at the men surrounding them nervously, as they all had their weapons aimed and ready to kill on command.

"Over there, mate." Jack said softly, leaning in to speak to Will. Will followed Jack's gaze and saw a man still mounted on his horse, staring at them, his eyes expressionless. They were led up to within a few paces of the chestnut stallion, and the two friends simply stared at the leader of the riders while he stared back. The silence stretched out for several moments before Will decided to break the silence.

"My friend and I need your help." he began, but before he could continue the rider broke in.

"We do not help men who have an allegiance to the White Hand of Saruman." he interrupted, his tone holding nothing but loathing for the two that he believed to be in the service of Saruman.

Will frowned and shook his head. "We are not in his service! We, along with two others from our group, were taken captive by these Uruks."

The commander frowned and dismounted, handing the reins of his horse to another man standing next to him. He strode over to Will and attempted to stare him down. "Who are you then?"

"I am Ciryon, and my companion's name is Elendur. We are Rangers of the North. We were traveling with eight other companions, one of them our chieftain and kinsman, when we were attacked and taken captive near Amon Hen." Will answered, praying that he and Jack could be believed to be Aragorn's kinsman without the ranger here to vouch for them.

The rider continued to study them. The two certainly fit the descriptions that he had heard of the Rangers of the North, with their ragged appearance, dark features, and their names alone marking them as descendants of the Dúnedain.

"And who might you be, mate?" Jack asked, studying the rider with the same intensity that he was studying them. The man was wearing a full suit of armor, though it was made only of leather and mail in order to spare his horse the punishing weight. The armor was very well made however; Jack noticed that right away with his eye for value and finery.

Eomer sighed and removed his helmet, the crest of real horsehair falling over his arm as he tucked it into the crook of his elbow. "I am Eomer, Third Marshal of the Riddermark, and nephew to King Théoden."

Will and Jack both bowed slightly to the man, recognizing both his name and that of Théoden's. Aragorn and Gandalf had made sure that the two outworlders knew the names of each kingdom and its leaders, in case they ever came into contact with any of them.

"Lord Eomer, please. We are both injured and need your assistance." Will stated again, his tone slightly pleading.

Eomer nodded in agreement, as Will had successfully convinced them that they were indeed Rangers. He gestured and a few of the men encircling them came forward. "These men will assist you while we finish dealing with the Uruks. You are both welcome to come along with us once we are finished until you are well enough to go on your own."

Will bowed his head. "Thank you, my Lord."

Eomer nodded again and strode back to his horse, ordering his men to finish collecting the orc corpses for burning. Will looked at the men ordered to help them and offered them a small smile.

"What are your injuries?" the man closest to him asked.

"Elendur was wounded by an Uruk arrow when we were first attacked. I've done what I could for him, but my supplies were limited." Will responded.

The man nodded. "And the injuries to yourself besides the ones to your neck?"

Will blinked in confusion, and then remembered the rope around his neck that had rubbed his skin raw. He nodded. "Two others, my shoulder was cut."

"What was the other, Ciryon?" Jack asked, unable to see any other injury on the younger man. He watched, frowning, as Will began to undo the clasps of his tunic. Once he had removed the shirt, Jack gasped at the sight that met his eyes. Will's ribs were completely covered with ugly bruises, compliments of the kicks that the Uruks had laid on him every time he had tripped and fallen while running.

"Why didn't you tell me you were injured so badly?" Jack cried in horror as one of the men began to examine the blacksmith, checking to make sure that Will hadn't broken any ribs, which he didn't think was the case, since if Will did have broken ribs he wouldn't be moving around the way he was. Had any of his ribs been broken, Will wouldn't have been able to move due to the pain.

"You are very lucky. You suffer only from bruising." the man said as he finished checking Will's ribs. Looking over to Jack, he noticed the pirate sigh in relief. "Come, our supplies are over here in the horses' saddle bags."

Will and Jack followed the men, as the others finished piling the bodies and set the pyre aflame. They sat down on the ground while the riders tended to their respective shoulder injuries. If anything, Will's injury was worse than Jack's at this point since he had ignored it all this time. The blacksmith was lucky that the wound hadn't become infected, especially with all the punishment he had taken.

Eomer came over to them, leading two horses. "Are you able to ride on your own, or do you need to ride double with my men?" he asked after his men told him of Will and Jack's injures.

"I think we will be able to manage." Will replied as he got to his feet. "But we were wondering if it would be at all possible to try and find our other two companions? We told them to run and hide in the woods."

Eomer sighed and shook his head. "I am sorry, but we cannot afford to linger any longer. If they are Rangers, they will be fine unless they were injured."

Jack got to his feet and fixed Eomer with an intense look. "One of them was injured, but not badly. But they are not Rangers. They are only small hobbits, and they will not be able to defend themselves if they run into trouble, savvy?"

Eomer lowered his eyes from the irritated pirate. "I'm sorry, but if you want to come with us you cannot look for them." He sighed. "The chances that they made it past my men and into the forest are slim. We left none alive except for you two. Your companions are more than likely dead."

Will looked past Eomer to the burning pyre and felt his heart breaking for the two little hobbits. He struggled not to cry, but prayed that the hobbits had indeed made it to safety.

"Did your men find their bodies?" Jack demanded, his voice rising in volume as a result of the sadness and frustration he was feeling.

"My men looked for the companions you mentioned earlier, but they were looking for Rangers, not hobbits." Eomer replied to Jack, who looked like he wanted to pounce on Eomer. "These horses are for you. It is up to you whether or not you want to follow us or not. But if you choose to go in search of your companions, then I bid you farewell." With that, Eomer turned and placed his helmet back on his head as he strode over to his horse. All around them the men were mounting and making ready to leave.

"What should we do, Jack?" Will asked.

Jack ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what would be the best thing for them to do. They could go after Merry and Pippin, but what then? Obviously he and Will had no idea where they were going, and if they got into trouble they had no weapons. An idea came to Jack as he remembered that Aragorn was likely following them.

"Why don't we go with Eomer for now?" Jack suggested.

Will looked at him, uncertainly, until Jack explained his idea. "From the looks of it, they are heading in the direction that the Uruks brought us from, and if we stick with them we may be able to backtrack and find Aragorn and the others."

"I forgot that Aragorn was following us." Will replied, glancing into the forest. "But what about Merry and Pippin?"

"We can lead them back here, and look for them then. Let's face it, if anyone can find them it's Strider, savvy?"

Will nodded and went to the horses, tossing the reins of a striking looking blue roan stallion to Jack, while he mounted the other, a white mare covered with darker brown spots that resembled an appaloosa. He looked down to see Jack staring at the horse uncertainly. It suddenly dawned on Will that Jack had probably never ridden a horse in his life. Will didn't have a lot of experience either, but he at least knew the basics. "Jack, you've never ridden before have you?"

"No." came the simple answer from the pirate as his horse began to nuzzle his arm. Jack leaned away from the curious nose slightly, uncertain what to do.

"At least he seems to like you." Will said with a smile. "Can you get onto him?"

Jack nodded, having watched Will, and managed to get into the saddle with a minimum of difficulty. But now he had no clue what to do next. He stared from Will to the back of his horse's head, to the reins in his hand.

"Use leg pressure to get him to move forward, Jack. Like this." Will said and gently kicked his mare's sides. In response to the pressure, the mare started towards Eomer's men at a slow walk. "See? Now you try."

Jack imitated Will and his stallion also moved forward at a slow walk. Will smiled. "See? Nothing to it. To make him stop, pull back on the reins, but not too hard. Also, use the reins to steer him left and right. Can you manage?"

"Of course I can!" Jack said with a cocky smirk on his face. Will kicked his horse's sides again a little bit harder, and the mare shifted into a gallop, following the retreating riders. Jack rolled his eyes and did the same, unaware of how he was holding the reins. As a result he was taken completely by surprise when his horse began to drift to the left. "No, no! The other way!" he yelled as he tried to straighten the confused horse out. "Good horsey." Jack said nervously as the stallion finally began to move in the correct direction, picking up speed and beginning to catch up to Will.

Will faced forward again before Jack could notice him watching. He tried valiantly to keep a straight face, but he finally couldn't help himself and burst out laughing at his friend. However, he was forced to calm himself when Jack came up alongside him.

"See, I told you I could manage." Jack said in a very cocky manner, unaware that Will had watched him trying to steer the roan in the right direction.

Will nodded. "Yes, yes you did. Lord Eomer gifted you with a very beautiful 'horsey', Jack."

Jack narrowed his eyes at his young friend, who was fighting against the incredible urge to start laughing again. Jack shook his head. "Go ahead, laugh."

Will shook his head and got himself back under control. "No. Just be glad that I was the only one to see you." he replied, shifting his gaze to the riders ahead of them.

Jack nodded and silence fell over the two for a while as they rode at the back of the group.

Finally, Will sighed. "Do you think that we did the right thing, Jack? I mean, what if we don't meet up with the others?"

Jack also sighed. "Then we turn back and go and look for Merry and Pippin ourselves. Everything will be alright, Will."

Will nodded and smiled, his friend's words comforting him immensely, along with the fact that they were safe for the time being while they were with Eomer and his men. He could feel his eyelids drooping, heavy with the release of some of the stress he had been under and his lack of sleep finally catching up with him.

Jack glanced over at his friend a few minutes later and found the blacksmith sound asleep in the saddle, the reins hanging limply from his fingers and his head down on his chest. His mare, luckily, was simply following the group, and not trying to slow or veer off. Jack carefully maneuvered his horse closer to his friend's in case he had to steady the younger man if he began to slip in the saddle. "Losto mae, mellon nin. {Sleep well, my friend.}"


	21. Chapter 21

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 21_

Will yawned and shifted around as he began to wake. He opened his eyes slowly when he realized that he was leaning against someone and carefully turned around. He blinked to see Jack sitting behind him, one of the pirate's arms wrapped around Will's waist, holding him in place on his horse. "Jack? Why am I up here with you?" he asked around another yawn.

"Because you nearly fell off your horse as you slept last night." Jack replied, as he loosened his grip on the blacksmith. Now that Will was awake he wouldn't need Jack to keep him balanced in the saddle.

Will nodded and looked around, the sky a mixture of beautiful blues, grays, and pinks as the sun began to rise. "Well, I think I am awake enough to ride on my own." Will said with a smile.

Jack pulled his roan stallion to a stop and Will swung down and made his way over to his mare. Will stopped for a moment to rub behind her ears, and then jumped up into her saddle.

"Have you seen any signs of Strider?" he asked Jack as they urged their horses into a gallop to catch up to Eomer's riders. The two horses responded eagerly, and they quickly closed the small distance that had opened between them and Eomer's men.

Jack shook his head. "Not yet, mate. And if we don't by nightfall we'll go back and search for Merry and Pippin."

Will nodded in agreement and looked around again, praying to see his friends coming up over one of the hills as they mixed into the group of the Riders of Rohan.

************************************************************************

Legolas came to a sudden stop and turned around, looking at the rising sun as his companions ran ahead of him. The prince shivered as he remembered an old saying among his people. He whispered it under his breath, as it was not a good omen. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night." He took one last look at the rising sun before turning and rejoining his companions, who had paused as well while Aragorn reexamined the ground, looking for tracks. The prince came up to stand next to where the ranger knelt on the ground, studying the orcs' path for signs of how far ahead they were.

Aragorn's head came up suddenly when a shrill whinny broke the silence of the early morning. Getting to his feet he looked off in the direction that it had come from, and then glanced at Legolas to confirm what he saw. The elf nodded in agreement, and Aragorn signaled his companions to follow him as he hid behind some boulders.

They had barely ducked out of sight when the large group of horsemen appeared over the hill. They stayed hidden as the group of horsemen passed by, banners of Rohan flying above their heads. Aragorn shifted around slightly and looked at his companions before standing and emerging from behind the boulders. He decided to call them back, hoping that they might have information about the Uruk-Hai they were hunting. "Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" The words were barely out of his mouth when the group began to make a quick turn at a signal from the leader.

"Let me talk to them, Aragorn." Boromir said, coming up behind the ranger as Legolas and Gimli also stood and came to stand behind their friend.

Aragorn looked back at Legolas, and then shifted his gaze back to the quickly approaching group of riders. "As you wish, Boromir." he replied. Aragorn knew that they would get through this much more quickly with Boromir talking to these men, since it was almost a guarantee that they would have heard of him, whereas they would regard Aragorn with suspicion and the hunters would lose more time in tracking down their friends by the time he won their trust.

Jack and Will had been near the front of the group, telling Eomer of their plan to part ways with his company at nightfall when they heard Aragorn calling to the group. Will tried to tell Eomer that it was the rest of their companions, but he was drowned out by the noises created by the riders as they turned and made their way back towards the ranger.

"You two stay in the back and let my men and I handle this!" Eomer called out to Jack and Will when they tried to follow him and push through the group towards their friends. The riders parted to let their commander through, but closed ranks again before Jack and Will could squeeze past, keeping the four members of the Fellowship enclosed in a circle.

Jack rolled his eyes and dismounted. "Come on." he said, waving for Will to follow him as they tried to squeeze their way through and past the other riders on foot.

Eomer made his way through his men, and was about to speak when he was greeted by a familiar face. He blinked as he realized that he was looking down at the son of Denethor.

"Hail Eomer!" Boromir called when he recognized the King's nephew. The two had met when Boromir had first been heading to Rivendell, and they had instantly gotten along. Eomer smiled and waved for his men, who had their spears aimed at the Gondorian captain and his companions, to stand down. The Third Marshal of the Riddermark handed his own spear and reins off to one of his men and dismounted, making his way over to Boromir.

"Long has it been since we last saw each other Boromir! Tell me, did you find the answers you were seeking?" Eomer asked, but was taken aback when he took notice to Legolas.

"I have and much more. Eomer, I need your help in an urgent matter." Boromir said, not noticing Eomer's reaction to Legolas. But Aragorn had grown up with Lord Elrond, and had become adept at reading faces and expressions, and had learned to observe without appearing to, so he had noticed the man's reaction to his friend, and wondered if that meant that Eomer had seen Jack and Will. He barely kept himself from fidgeting nervously, but that would not present a good front.

"We are tracking a party of Uruk-Hai; they have taken four of our friends captive." Boromir continued.

"Two rangers and two hobbits." Eomer interrupted.

Boromir cast a quick glance at Gimli and Aragorn, who were both by now beginning to look very impatient.

"You have seen them?! Where, when?" Legolas asked, taking a step forward, his sapphire eyes reflecting all their hopes. Eomer nodded, but he was beginning to be very suspicious of this group Boromir was traveling with.

By this time, Jack and Will had managed to work their way to the front of the group, and Gimli was the first one to spot them. The dwarf leaned on his axe and studied the two men, who stood smiling at their companions. "We've run all this way on foot, and all this time you two have been riding around on horses!" Gimli said with mock annoyance in his voice, his lips pulling into a small smile.

"Actually, I believe that Elendur is the only one who has not done any running at all, Master Dwarf." Will said as he and Jack walked up to their friends. Despite being glad to see them, he was still careful to use the ranger names that they had given Eomer.

Aragorn couldn't help but laugh in relief as he drew first Jack, then Will into a hug. He didn't know what he would do without these two. However, in spite of his joy, he picked up on Will's subtle hint to not use their real names.

"Don't ever do this to us again!" Legolas mock-scolded as he also gave Will and Jack a hug. He, like Aragorn, had become so close to the two outlanders that he couldn't imagine life without them.

Jack frowned and placed his hands on his hips. "We didn't exactly plan on getting captured, mate."

Aragorn was watching Boromir carefully, wanting to see how the other man would react to the safe return of their friends. To his surprise, Boromir didn't react at all. He seemed to be completely emotionless. But then Aragorn caught a glimpse of the Gondorian's eyes, and realized that this was not the case at all.

Boromir had no idea what to say to the two men as the guilt from what he had done to Will washed over him again. And then there was Jack. He didn't even know where to begin, how to thank the pirate for what he had done. Boromir lowered his eyes, suddenly finding the ground a very interesting thing to study. He mentally kicked himself for the way he was acting, but he had never been a very demonstrative man. Will had become one of his closest friends, and Jack had nearly died for him, and he couldn't even express how happy and relieved he was to see them alive and back with them.

Boromir finally looked back up from the ground and was about to say something when Aragorn beat him to it.

"Where are Merry and Pippin?" he asked Will and Jack, who in turn looked to Eomer.

Eomer shifted uncomfortably as all eyes turned to him for an explanation. "We slaughtered the Uruks during the night. The only two who were left alive were Elendur and Ciryon. We piled the carcasses and burned them." he pointed back the way that they had come, where the pyre was still smoking in the distance.

"Dead?" questioned Gimli in disbelief. Legolas looked down and laid a comforting hand on the dwarf's shoulder in shared grief. Aragorn felt the joy that he had known at Will and Jack's safe return turn bittersweet at the thought that the two cheerful hobbits were dead. He turned to Will and Jack, who averted their eyes from him.

"I am sorry." Eomer said, looking back up at Aragorn. "I don't believe you ever told me your names." he finished lamely, his gaze shifting from Aragorn and passing between Gimli and Legolas.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin; and Legolas of the Woodland Realm." Aragorn answered, frowning. "We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your King." he added, when he saw that Eomer was eyeing them suspiciously, his voice holding a definite annoyed tone, which was only intensified from his grief over Merry and Pippin.

Boromir narrowed his eyes at Eomer. "You can trust my companions, Eomer. Do you really think that I would travel with servants of the Enemy?" he asked, his own voice sounding a little offended that Eomer would even consider such a thing.

The younger man shook his head. "No, I apologize. But know that Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin." he added while removing his helmet.

"What do you mean, mate?" Jack asked curiously.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed Lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that, we are banished." Eomer said sadly. He looked between the six men standing in front of them, and suddenly felt an odd desire to help them. Turning he whistled. "Hasufel! Arod! Authon!" At the command, three more horses moved up to stand near Eomer.

"May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." he said as he handed the reins off to Legolas. He looked between the company in front of him once again, with the strange desire that this was not the last time he would see these men, elf, and dwarf. "Farewell."

Eomer turned and placed his helmet on his head, mounting his stallion smoothly, and turning back to Aragorn. "Look for your friends," he glanced sadly at Will and Jack, "but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands." He straightened and took his spear from the rider who held it. "We ride north!" he yelled, spurring his horse into a gallop. His men followed close behind, leaving the Fellowship standing there, with five horses, as Jack's stallion and Will's mare had also remained.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Aragorn looked at Jack questioningly, with a trace of hope in his eyes. The pirate met Aragorn's gaze for only a moment, before he looked away, closing his mouth on the words that he had been about to speak.

"We told them to hide in the woods near where the battle took place, but Eomer insisted that there was no way they would have made it past his men. We didn't even get to look for them." Will finally said.

Aragorn felt hope begin to rise in him again as he took Hasufel's reins from Legolas. He swung up into the chestnut's saddle. "Then we shall look for them now." He tried to sound encouraging, and offered a smile to his companions, as Jack and Will mounted their horses, while Boromir swung into the saddle of his horse, which actually looked like a larger version of Bill the pony.

Arod, the white stallion that Legolas claimed, seemed very happy to have an elf riding him. Legolas whispered soothingly to him, and then jumped onto the stallion's back, calming him with a touch. The elf prince reached down and lifted Gimli up onto the horse, settling the dwarf behind him. "Hang on tight, Master Dwarf." Legolas said, flashing the dwarf a brilliant smile, before he nudged Arod forward after Aragorn and Hasufel. The ranger had already started, heading for the place where Jack and Will had been held captive, not that long ago.

As the six of them rode closer to the forest, Boromir brought his stallion alongside Jack. "How are you Jack?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so you can talk, mate." he replied sarcastically. Needless to say, he and Will had been hurt by the way he had ignored them earlier. "Tell me, are you always ignorant to people that save your life?"

Boromir lowered his gaze from Jack's cool stare. "Jack, I am sorry for the way I reacted, I just didn't know what to say." the warrior admitted as he kept his gaze away from the pirate next to him.

"How about, 'thank you', mate?" Jack replied to Boromir, who still wouldn't look at him.

Boromir looked up, smiling slightly. 'Thank you, my friend."

"You are welcome. Now, was that so hard?" Jack teased. Boromir would have laughed at the comment, if he hadn't caught sight of the smoking pyre just ahead of them, an Uruk head on a pole greeting them.

Aragorn was the first to dismount, grimacing as his eyes scanned the smoking bodies of the Orcs and Uruks. The others made similar faces as they also got down. All of them stared at the pyre for a few moments, afraid to begin to sift through it, afraid of what they might find.

Gimli finally stepped forward and used his axe to shift through the pile, looking for any signs of Merry and Pippin. As he did, Aragorn bent down and retrieved an arrow from the ground and began twirling it through his fingers nervously. He had a bad habit of fidgeting among the people that he was most comfortable with, but around strangers he was able to force it aside and present a calm, composed front.

Jack felt his stomach twist into knots as Gimli gasped, stopping in his search and turning towards them, holding a bit of burned leather in his hand. "It's one of their wee belts."

Will moved towards Gimli and took the belt from the dwarf, studying it. "This one was Merry's." he said as he threw the belt back into the pile.

Aragorn frowned. "How can you tell?"

In response, the blacksmith reached into his boot and pulled out Merry's dagger. "That sheath didn't have a dagger in it. I took Merry's from him, in case we saw an opportunity to escape."

Legolas bowed his head and placed his hand over his heart. "_Hiro hyn hidh ab'wanneth._ {May they find peace after death}"

Jack turned and moved a few paces away from the others as Legolas spoke, understanding every word. Jack shook his head, swiping tears from his eyes, a few choice curse words spilling out of his mouth.

Aragorn could feel his emotions boiling over as he watched Boromir try to comfort Will. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he lashed out, kicking a helmet lying on the ground by his foot and screaming as loudly as he could while sinking to his knees.

"We failed them." Gimli said sadly, glancing at Legolas before lowering his gaze to the ground.

Will shook his head. "You four did not fail anyone." he replied, looking over at Jack, who closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Me and Will did." Jack finished, speaking the words that Will was unable to.

Legolas turned to the pirate. "You and Will did no such thing, Jack. This was not your fault, nor was it Will's,_ mellon nin_." he stressed, hoping Jack would listen.

"We were right here with them, and yet they were still killed!" Will cried, the distress and helplessness he had felt when he and Jack were captured returning with a vengeance.

"No they weren't!"

Everyone's attention turned to Aragorn, for it was he that had shouted. While the others had been talking, he had noticed hobbit tracks next to him and had followed them, finding Jack's own footprints among them. He was now a fairly good distance from the others, closer to the borders of the forest and had noticed a few feet back was where Jack had left the hobbits to go in search of Will.

The others rushed over to Aragorn's side. "What did you find?" Boromir asked the ranger, unable to hide his hopes that Aragorn was right and that Merry and Pippin had indeed made it past Eomer's men.

"They were followed, but not by one of the riders." Aragorn replied as he followed the tracks further, stopping a few feet from the woods. He looked at Will and Jack, smiling broadly. "They did make it into the forest. Fangorn Forest." he finished, his gaze shifting over to the others, the smile falling from his face.

Jack frowned as he noticed that he and Will's companions were all looking warily at the woods before them, but not saying anything as to why. Jack took a second look at the trees and he thought he understood, his own face reflecting his uncertainty as he realized how dark, haunting, and dense the forest actually looked.

Aragorn began to move towards the trees when Legolas grabbed him by the arm. "We should give Will and Jack back their weapons, Estel. Who knows what we may run into in there?"

Aragorn nodded in agreement. "Of course." Turning to Jack, he handed the pirate his bow and the arrows that Galadriel had given him, which Legolas had retrieved before they left the camp. Jack slid the arrows into his quiver, which was still fastened over his back. Legolas then handed him back his sword and much to the pirate's delight, his pistol and the supplies he needed for the weapon.

Jack quickly fastened his sword around his waist, and slipped his extra bullets and gunpowder into his quiver, slipping his pistol into the small of his back, under his shirt and tunic.

"What happened to your sword?" Will asked Boromir, as the other man handed him back his sword.

Boromir shrugged. "It was broken at Amon Hen. Legolas carries the pieces in his quiver." he said, nodding his head in the prince's direction.

Will immediately handed his own sword back to Boromir. "Keep it for the time being. Otherwise you have no weapon."

"If I keep this then you have no weapon." Boromir countered.

Will smiled and looked down at Gimli. "Master Dwarf, may I borrow one of your throwing axes, and the short sword you carry?"

Gimli handed the sword, which belonged to Pippin, and one of the requested axes to the blacksmith. "I want that back in one piece, lad." he said, referring to the axe.

Will laughed. "I swear you will get it back in one piece, Gimli." Will looked back at Boromir. "Keep that for now my friend." Boromir smiled in thanks and slipped the sword into his belt at Will's insistence.

Once everyone's weapons situation was sorted out, Aragorn moved into the woods, following the tracks. Inside the forest, the air was very heavy, and there was an odd twilight quality to the light trickling in from the canopy.

As they came upon a small stream, Gimli noticed a dark substance staining the leaves of a bush. He stepped closer and placed his fingers in the substance, bringing it to his lips to sniff, and then tasting it. Almost immediately he spat it back out. "Orc blood!" he hissed as the others began to jump the stream, still following Aragorn.

The ranger knelt down at a large depression in the ground, studying it. There was another identical depression a few yards ahead. "These are strange tracks." he frowned, having never seen any tracks like this.

"The air is close in here." Gimli said, looking around uneasily.

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memories…and anger." Legolas observed with his eyes half closed as he listened to the trees. Jack and Will froze as groans began to come from the trees.

"They were doing this last night too." Jack said, looking around uncertainly as Gimli raised his axe.

"The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas replied, turning to face Jack and Will, who were remembering Merry's tale of the living trees.

Aragorn took notice to Gimli's raised axe and whispered to the dwarf. "Gimli! Lower your axe!"

As Gimli obeyed the ranger and lowered his axe the groans coming from the trees died down.

Legolas fixed the dwarf with a serious look. "They have feelings, my friend."

"The trees have feelings?" Boromir questioned half in disbelief.

Legolas nodded and looked around again. "The elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."

"Talking trees." Gimli huffed. "What do trees have to talk about? Besides the consistency of squirrel droppings." The dwarf looked around as they continued to search for Merry and Pippin.

Legolas froze as his keen senses detected something. He only hesitated for a moment before picking up the pace and passing Aragorn. "Aragorn, _nad nâ ennas_! {Something is out there!}"

He paused and Aragorn ran up behind him. "_Man cenich?_ {What do you see?}"

"The white wizard approaches." the prince whispered back, nodding over his shoulder. Will and Jack both froze. It seemed as if they were doomed to face the wizard.

Aragorn also tensed, not at all happy with this new predicament. "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." he whispered as he wrapped a hand around the hilt of his sword, pulling it out a little. Boromir and Will did the same, while Jack and Legolas strung arrows onto their bows and Gimli readied one of his throwing axes. 'We must be quick." Aragorn finished.

With a yell they all turned around, attacking, as blinding white light flooded the area around them. Gimli threw one of his axes and Legolas and Jack both fired their arrows, all of which the wizard deflected with his staff. Will, Boromir, and Aragorn were all forced to drop their swords as the blades became red-hot in their grasps, shielding their eyes with their arms.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." the wizard said, his voice unrecognizable.

"Where are they?!" Aragorn demanded, taking a step forward.

"They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" the figure replied.

Aragorn hesitated for only a minute, then shook his head. "Who are you? Show yourself!" he yelled.

The wizard suddenly stepped forward out of the light, revealing himself to them.


	22. Chapter 22

_Pirates in the Fellowship Chapter 22_

The four men stood, staring in shock at what, or rather, who was revealed as the white light dimmed, and finally faded altogether. Gandalf stood before them, but it was a different Gandalf than the one who had fallen in Moria. Instead of his old, tattered grey robes, now he was garbed in robes of brilliant white. Aragorn's eyes widened. "It cannot be." he said in a low tone as he stepped closer to the wizard.

Jack and Will both stood with jaws dropped, while Gimli and Boromir looked a little uncertain as Legolas dropped to one knee in a humble bow.

"Forgive me." the prince said softly. "I mistook you for Saruman."

"I am Saruman." the wizard answered.

Jack mentally groaned, and was about to try and set the wizard straight about who he really was, before Gandalf spoke again. "Or rather, Saruman as he should have been." he finished, glancing at the members of the Fellowship that had made it this far.

"You fell!" Aragorn said, his voice still quiet and clouded with emotion.

There was a brief pause before Gandalf answered the ranger. "Through fire; and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again." Gandalf watched his companions' reactions carefully, as he told them what had happened to him while they had been continuing on their own journey. "I've been sent back until my task is done." he finished.

Aragorn finally made his way up to his long-time friend, his concern and uncertainty evident in his voice as he spoke the wizard's name. "Gandalf."

Gandalf studied Aragorn, giving him a look that the ranger couldn't quite interpret as he repeated the name. "Gandalf? Yes…" he paused and smiled kindly at Aragorn. "…that's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

Aragorn nodded, a small smile coming onto his face as Gimli said the wizard's name aloud again, his happiness evident in his tone. "Gandalf!"

A slight twinkle came into Gandalf's eyes and he returned the smile Aragorn was giving him. "I am Gandalf the White." he said, glancing behind Aragorn to Legolas, who was smiling again as well, before turning his gaze back to the ranger. "And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide." As he finished speaking, he looked at the rest of the company, to Jack, Will, and Boromir, who all looked as overjoyed to see him as Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. He nodded at them, but an odd worry crossed his mind, though he didn't allow it to show on his face, as he considered what the addition of another person who wasn't supposed to be there would do to the quest. He knew what Boromir's fate should have been, and he wondered what effect the Gondorian would have, now that he had survived.

"It is good to see you alive and well, mate." Jack said as he took a few steps closer to the wizard.

Gandalf chuckled. "It is good to see you as well, Captain Sparrow. And you two also." he added to Will and Boromir.

"It is good to have you back, Mithrandir." Boromir said with a smile.

Gandalf glanced over the group again, his smile fading a little. "It is good to be back, but come, time is running short and we must continue on." he said, turning and heading back the way he had come, with the others easily falling into step behind him.

The group was quiet as they hurried back through the woods, but now they took the time to look around at their surroundings more carefully. Boromir's gaze was drawn to Jack, who was walking ahead of him, wondering when the pirate had developed the odd new swagger.

"Is there something wrong, Boromir?" Will asked as he noticed his friend staring at Jack.

Boromir shook his head. "No, I was just wondering where Jack picked up that new swagger." Boromir answered, watching as a look of amusement passed over Will's face. "What aren't you telling me?"

Will worried his lower lip for a moment and then stepped closer to Boromir, his voice lowering so Jack wouldn't overhear. "The swagger is the result of Jack's first time riding a horse."

Boromir cringed ever so slightly, remembering that pain all too well. "That explains it then." he said, both he and Will doing their best not to laugh.

Up ahead of Jack, Legolas was also trying to keep himself from laughing, as his keen elven hearing had allowed him to overhear the entire conversation between Will and Boromir. *I have to tell Aragorn!* he thought, and waved the ranger over.

Gandalf, who had placed an old grey cloak on over his white robes, looked over his shoulder in time to see Legolas lean in to whisper to Aragorn, telling the ranger what he had overheard. The wizard sighed as Aragorn began to grin wickedly. Only the Valar knew what the ranger was planning to humiliate Jack with this new information. Normally Gandalf would have been annoyed at such behavior during such a serious time, but instead he let the group traveling behind him enjoy themselves. Gandalf could tell by their appearances, which were more ragged than usual, even for Aragorn, that they had been through a great many hardships during his absence, and things were only prove to get worse before getting better, so he decided to let them enjoy themselves while they could, because in all likelihood they wouldn't have the chance to do so again for a long time.

Aragorn chuckles lightly as he moved up beside Gandalf. "Where are we going?" he asked, not sure if they were going to retrieve Merry and Pippin or if the wizard had something else planned.

"One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed." Gandalf replied.

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli called up to Gandalf.

Aragorn's mood became serious again as he remembered what Eomer had told them. "We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the King."

Gandalf paused and turned to face the ranger. "Yes, and it will not be easily cured." he answered as Gimli began to complain from the back of the line.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested…?"

At that comment the forest began to rumble threateningly. Everyone stopped and looked around at the trees.

"I mean, charming! Quite charming forest!" Gimli amended his statement as the trees ceased their moaning.

Gandalf turned around and faced Gimli. "It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn." he said, his words meant not only for Gimli, but for anyone in the group who may have felt guilty about leaving the two hobbits behind. "A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." he continued, his gaze moving to lock on to Will and Jack, who he predicted would have the same effect.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend." Aragorn said. Gandalf appeared confused and leaned in closer to the ranger, though a small smirk pulled at his lips. "You still speak in riddles." At this observation both of them chuckled. It was a common complaint among those who knew the wizard, for Gandalf would always use riddles to explain things to someone, leaving them to guess at his meaning.

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder days." Gandalf said, looking around at the trees. "The Ents are going to wake up, and find that they are strong."

"What exactly is an Ent?" Will asked.

Legolas waved the question off. "I'll explain later, mellon nin."

"Strong?" Gimli repeated, looking around at the forest uncertainly. "Oh, that's good."

"So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf." Gandalf said, turning around and continuing to walk among the trees. "Merry and Pippin are perfectly safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be!" the wizard yelled back over his shoulder as they others hurried to follow him out of the forest, leaving Gimli lagging somewhat.

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one." Gimli grumbled as he trudged after the others.

************************************************************************

The remaining members of the Fellowship emerged from the eaves of Fangorn in the same general area as where they had entered it. Legolas pursed his lips and whistled, and the five horses given to them by Eomer came trotting up, each one going to his or her new master.

Boromir stroked Authon's neck as he watched Jack interacting with his stallion. "What are your horses' names?" he asked, addressing both the pirate and blacksmith.

Will shrugged. "Eomer never told us their names." he replied.

Legolas smiled as he walked up, whispering in elvish to Will's mare and rubbing her nose gently. "Then it is up to the both of you to give them new names." the prince said, his smile widening.

Jack looked over his horse, trying to think of a suitable name that would also appeal to his inner pirate's love of treasure. "What's something elvish for treasure?" he asked the prince.

Legolas thought for several moments before he answered. "Mallovor. It means 'Gold-abundant'. Jack nodded and repeated the name, finding that he liked it.

"What will you name your mare, Will?" Aragorn asked.

Will frowned. "I can't think of one." he admitted as the mare began to nuzzle the pocket of his tunic. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the ring box that Galadriel had given him for Elizabeth.

"Name her Elizabeth, mate." Jack suggested as he watched Will fingering the ring, an odd look of wistfulness crossing the blacksmith's face. However, the wistfulness vanished immediately as Will turned a glare on the pirate.

"Do you know the meaning of her name?" Legolas asked, curiously.

The blacksmith tried to think of what Elizabeth meant. He knew she'd told him once, but he was having a hard time remembering. Finally, he thought he remembered. "I believe it means 'God's oath', but I am not positive."

Both Legolas and Aragorn tried to work out the translation of 'God's oath'. Of course it was Legolas who figured it out first. "Name her Eruwestiel." the prince suggested.

Will found that he liked this version of his beloved's name, and he agreed, thanking Legolas with a smile. Legolas returned the smile and strode over to Arod, boosting Gimli into the saddle before taking the stallion's reins and leading him closer to where Gandalf was standing.

The white wizard whistled piercingly, and a moment later an answering whinny was heard. Everyone turned to look in the direction the whinny had come from, and saw a striking white stallion approaching them, wearing no tack at all.

Legolas' eyes widened. "That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell."

The stallion came to a stop in front of Gandalf, tossing his head. "Shadowfax." Gandalf said, stroking the horse's neck. "He is the lord of all horses. And he's been my friend through many dangers." Shadowfax tossed his proud head again as Gandalf moved to his side, pulling himself up onto the stallion's back. Gandalf turned Shadowfax in the direction of Edoras and urged the horse into a gallop, followed closely by the others.

They rode over the plains of Rohan for the rest of the day, making good progress. But a few hours after sunset, the three injured members of the group could feel the day's travel catching up to them at last. Jack urged Mallovor closer to Shadowfax. "Mate, me and Will and Boromir have to stop." Jack began, his tone somewhat pleading.

At first Gandalf was going to insist that they press on a little further, but then he noticed Jack's discomfort and didn't want to cause him, or the others, any harm. He glanced back at Aragorn, and even though the ranger was better at hiding it, long association with him served Gandalf well, as he could see the weariness that even Aragorn was feeling as the three days' lack of food and rest took its toll on the ranger. Gandalf, to Jack's relief, agreed to stop for the night and pulled Shadowfax to a stop. "We will rest here for the night, and make an early start tomorrow."

"Thank you, mate." Jack said with relief, dismounting and helping the others tend to the horses and set up a makeshift camp, the best they could do, considering the majority of their belongings had been left back at Amon Hen.

They worked in silence at first, until Will remembered something that he had been meaning to ask Aragorn or Legolas about. He turned to the elf. "Legolas?"

Legolas looked up from where he was unrolling his bedroll next to Aragorn's. "Yes, Will?"

"There is something that I've been meaning to ask you about, but it kept slipping my mind. Something you said when we met in Rivendell."

Legolas frowned slightly, but it was a frown that came from trying to remember what he might have said that had been bothering Will this long. "Which would be what, my friend?" he asked curiously.

"You said that it had been years since you had last seen Jack and I, and I told you it had only been days for us. I was wondering just how many years has it been?" Will asked, moving closer to the prince and Aragorn, who was looking over Boromir's cut.

Aragorn paused and turned to look up at the elf, uncertain how to answer, now that the question they had been trying to avoid had come up at last.

Legolas shifted slightly, trying to figure out how to explain to them how many years it had truly been. "Well, Aragorn was twenty-one when we came to the Caribbean, so about sixty-six years I would say."

Both Will and Jack's jaws dropped in shock. "It couldn't have been sixty!" Jack exclaimed, looking Aragorn over. "He looks as though he is no more than forty at the most! I could buy twenty years, but not sixty-six!"

"It is true, Jack." Aragorn said at last. "I am a Dúnadan, blessed with long life and slower aging than most men."

Will blinked at the realization that Aragorn, whom he had met when the ranger was only a year older than Will himself, was now eighty-seven years old. He then also realized that, like Aragorn, Legolas didn't look like he had aged a day either. "Then why haven't you aged too, Legolas?"

Legolas and Aragorn looked at each other again, realizing that when they had explained to Jack and Will about the fact that Legolas was an elf; they had forgotten to mention a very important fact. Elves were immortal. "He doesn't age, Will." Aragorn finally said.

Will raised an eyebrow, not understanding. "What do you mean? He's not a Dúnadan, so he should have aged."

Aragorn tried to explain. "He's an elf, Will. Elves don't age, once they reach adulthood, because they are immortal. We forgot to mention that to you."

Jack's eyes widened even more. "Oh really? How old is Elf-boy, then?"

"I am 2931 years old, Jack." Legolas answered, to which the two outworlders became speechless.

"Which is actually young for an elf." Aragorn added. Jack and Will just nodded, allowing the information to sink in.

Boromir had been listening to the conversation between the four friends, but his mind was dwelling on something else as he also tried to solve a puzzle that was growing in his mind. Ever since the first time that he had met Aragorn in Rivendell, he had the nagging feeling that he had known the man before, but had never been able to figure out from where or when. But as Aragorn turned to him slightly, Boromir's eyes lighted on something that he recognized, which jarred his memory. The silver star-shaped pin that Aragorn wore on his cloak gleamed in the moonlight.

*Thorongil!* Boromir thought to himself in shock. He had met the ranger when he was only a child, during the time that Aragorn had served as a Captain of Gondor under his grandfather Ecthelion. Boromir had never had that much contact with Thorongil when he was a child, thanks to his father, who had always hated the other captain. But from what Boromir could remember which wasn't much considering how young he had been, he remembered that he had always been overjoyed to spend time with Thorongil, the man who always had made time for him, no matter how busy he had been at the time. *I can't believe this!* Boromir thought in shock as Aragorn turned to him and asked him if he was alright.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine." he replied, uncertain how to approach this matter with Aragorn as the ranger approached him with the vial of painkiller that he had prepared for Boromir. Aragorn frowned, noticing how Boromir had suddenly started acting oddly around him. It couldn't be due to the fact that he had just found out that Aragorn was eighty-seven years old, could it?

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, and Boromir nodded yes. "I think Will and Legolas are going to cook us up some food, would you like a plate with us?"

Boromir looked over to where the man and elf were, along with Gimli, building a small fire. Boromir smiled slightly as he heard Will still asking Legolas about the time differences, which Legolas had apparently thought he had explained. "No, I think I'll just go to sleep."

Aragorn watched Boromir even as he made his way over towards the fire, which was close to where Legolas had set up their bedrolls for the night. The other man lay down and apparently fell right to sleep.

"Estel, come and eat." Legolas called from near the fire. Aragorn sighed and sat down between Jack and Will, who handed him a plate of food. The group ate in silence, and then eventually went and laid down on their bedrolls, most of them falling asleep almost immediately, save for Gandalf who was taking the first watch that night.

And also save for Aragorn. The ranger tossed and turned for almost an hour, dead tired, but unable to fall asleep. Grumbling in frustration, he got up carefully, so as not to disturb Legolas, and made his way over to where Gandalf was standing. The wizard was looking off to the East, staring at the glowing light coming from Mordor, made from the fires of Mount Doom.

Gandalf sensed Aragorn's approach, and when the ranger was nearly on top of him he spoke, his tone soft to avoid waking the others. "The veiling shadow that glowers in the east takes shape."

Aragorn stood next to Gandalf, looking off into the distance as well as the wizard continued. "Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-Dur his eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear." At this, Aragorn turned to look at his long-time friend.

"Doubt ever gnaws at him. The rumor has reached him. The Heir of Numenor lives." Gandalf explained. "Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become."

At this, Aragorn averted his gaze. He had never wanted the power that came along with his bloodlines, for with the power was weakness.

"And so he will strike hard and fast at the world of men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming." the wizard continued. "Rohan must defend itself, and therein lies our first challenge, for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The King's mind is enslaved; it is an old device of Saruman's. His hold over King Théoden is now very strong."

Aragorn nodded in agreement, knowing somewhat of Rohan's weakness and the troubles with the King from what Eomer had told them that morning. He stayed silent though as Gandalf continued to speak. "Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose. But for all their cunning, we have one advantage."

Aragorn frowned, unable to see what Gandalf meant. The white wizard smiled. "The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the Enemy is moving towards Mordor in the hands of a hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom. We must trust now in Frodo."

Aragorn lowered his eyes, the guilt for leaving Frodo and Sam on their own still fresh within him. He had made the decision that was best, given the circumstances, but the guilt still lingered.

"Everything depends upon speed and the secrecy of his quest." Gandalf finished, turning back to Aragorn and easily reading the guilt in the ranger's eyes. "Do not regret your decision to leave him. Frodo must finish this task on his own."

Aragorn finally spoke for the first time. "He's not alone." Gandalf's eyebrows shot up in confusion. "Sam went with him." the ranger continued and Gandalf smiled in content at the news.

"Did he? Did he indeed?" his smile only widened when Aragorn nodded. "Good. Yes, very good."

A silence finally fell between the two friends, until Gandalf again turned to Aragorn. "Go and take rest while you can."

Aragorn offered the wizard a quick smile, before turning to make his way back to his spot next to Legolas. But he stopped in his tracks when he saw Boromir sitting by the fire looking at him. "I couldn't sleep either, Thorongil." Boromir responded when Aragorn gave him a questioning look.

Aragorn only nodded, before Boromir's words sunk in. It had been years since he had used the name Thorongil. "What did you call me?" he asked, his eyes widening a little.

"Thorongil. I thought I knew you from somewhere before, but I couldn't ever place the memory. I finally figured it out when I got a good look at your pin." Boromir answered calmly, pointing at the silver star still fastened to Aragorn's cloak, showing no emotion other than complete and utter calm.

Aragorn just stood staring at the man before him. He was unable to believe that Boromir remembered him after nearly forty years, especially since Boromir had been only a tiny boy of four when he had left Gondor. Aragorn stayed rooted where he was, not sure if Boromir was glad about this, or if he held hate for the former Captain of Gondor the way his father had.

Boromir finally smiled kindly at him. "I am not my father." he said, almost as if he had read the ranger's thoughts. He got up from his seat by the fire, and walked over so that he was standing directly in front of Aragorn, looking into the ranger's silver eyes. "I finally understand why you left." Boromir had heard his father speak of Thorongil many times and it had never been kind. While he had been unable to understand why the Captain he had admired as a child had gone away, in the time since the Council of Elrond, he had been experiencing a growing respect for Aragorn, and now he understood the answer that had plagued him as a child. If Aragorn had tried to claim the throne while in the service of Gondor, it probably would have done more harm than good and ended up as a complete disaster. Boromir knew what he had to do now though, and he didn't hesitate.

Aragorn was completely taken by surprise when Boromir suddenly sank down on one knee in front of him, his head bowed. "Boromir, what are you doing?" he asked confused, and somewhat defiantly, unused to people bowing before him and decidedly uncomfortable with it.

Boromir looked up and smiled at the expression on Aragorn's face, which was that of complete confusion. "I pledge my allegiance to you, Aragorn, son of Arathorn. My brother, my captain, and my King. My services are to you and you alone."

Placing his right hand over his heart, he bowed his head again, meaning every word he had spoken. As he had told Aragorn in Lothlorien, his father's rule was failing. He would always do whatever he could for his father, and Denethor would always have his love, no matter what. But Aragorn was his King, and he would do everything in his power to protect and serve the man before him. In this way, he hoped to make some small restitution for his attack on Frodo, and redeem his honor.

Aragorn finally blinked himself out of the startled reaction that Boromir had sent him into, and reached down and grabbed Boromir's arm, raising him to his feet before fixing him with a serious look. "Boromir, I have never doubted your loyalties. And I never will. You did not have to bow to me to prove them."

It was Boromir's turn to be surprised. "How could you not doubt me? After what I did at Amon Hen, I don't understand how you or anyone else can even bear to look at me!" Boromir protested trying to pull his arm free from Aragorn's grip, but the ranger would not let go.

"Boromir, I almost took the Ring too, as did Will." Aragorn said, reminding him again of what had happened to Will on Caradhras and finally admitting both to himself and to Boromir what he had almost done when he found Frodo on the hilltop. "I could never hold what happened against you for it happened to me as well. And even if I hadn't experienced the Ring's call, I still would not hold it against you, for you have already redeemed yourself."

Boromir just looked even more confused. "When did you almost take the Ring from Frodo?"

Aragorn sighed. "I found Frodo on the hilltop after he ran away from you and Will. He revealed the Ring to me, and in my moment of weakness, I too almost took the Ring as my own. So, do not think that what happened to you was the reason for Frodo's leaving the Fellowship. Two others had a part in that."

When Boromir didn't protest anymore, but rather remained silent, Aragorn released his arm. Boromir felt somewhat relieved at Aragorn's admission, but not by much. "It is only a small relief, Aragorn. But no matter what, I would have bowed down to you. As will others, so you had better get used to it." Boromir teased slightly, having noticed how uncomfortable he had made Aragorn during his display.

Aragorn gave him a small smile and shook his head. "I guess I will have to get used to it, someday. But not today." Aragorn looked around, suddenly feeling as though he could finally sleep. "Well, I don't know about you, but I need sleep."

Boromir nodded in agreement as a yawn escaped him. "I do too." he smiled again at Aragorn before turning from him and making his way to his own bedroll.

Aragorn grinned suddenly. "Good night, little one." he called out to Boromir, using the pet name that he had given the man when he was a child.

Boromir paused and looked back over his shoulder at Aragorn, giving him a look of mock-annoyance at the name. "Good night, Thorongil." he called back.

Aragorn sighed and lay back down next to Legolas. Little did he know that the elf had been awake and listening and watching the entire conversation. "So 'Little One' remembers you?" the prince asked, as he rolled over, coming face to face with Aragorn.

"You heard the whole thing, didn't you?" the ranger asked, half in accusation.

Legolas nodded and then laughed lightly. "Be prepared to be teased by Jack if he takes to calling you Thorongil. You really are the man of a thousand names, you know that?" Legolas teased, receiving a smack in the face from Aragorn's pillow.

The ranger rolled so his back was facing his friend. "I want to sleep Legolas. Not have you chat my ear off all night." Aragorn said, knowing what the elf was planning.

Legolas made a pouting face, even though Aragorn couldn't see him. "But I feel like chatting!" he mock-whined, knowing he was annoying his friend, who loved his sleep, to no end.

Aragorn flipped back over and gave the elf a look that made the prince laugh. "By the Valar! You've mastered Lord Elrond's glare!"

"Legolas, if you feel like talking, then come and keep me company. If not, then leave Aragorn alone." Gandalf finally called, putting an end to the argument. This wasn't his first adventure with the two friends and he was not about to put up with the two getting into another wrestling match. The wizard couldn't help but chuckle however, as he pictured the look on Boromir's face if the man happened to see Legolas and Aragorn start wrestling. Yes, the Gondorian would definitely question his loyalties to Aragorn if he saw his King getting into a slapping and kicking fight, which was what had happened the last time Legolas had pestered the ranger while Aragorn was trying to sleep.

Legolas got to his feet and made his way over to Gandalf, wanting to talk to his old friend anyway. Aragorn sighed in relief and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.


End file.
